United States: Child poisonings because of fentanyl exposure have dramatically increased in recent times, according to recent reports.
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The synthetic opioid drug fentanyl maintains strong potency in its chemical makeup. New research published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse on March 8 revealed fentanyl exposure poisonings among children under 12 increased by 924% from 2015 until 2023, while poisonings in teenagers aged 13 to 19 surged by 1,506%.
The number of dangerous poisonings that ended in death increased substantially from 16% in 2015 to 45% in 2023, specifically for fentanyl exposure cases.
According to the lead researcher, Joseph Palamar, an associate professor of population health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, “We can’t forget that kids are also at risk during this opioid crisis,” US News reported.
“Parents and others need to be careful not to leave fentanyl, whether licit or illicit, out in the open around unsupervised children,” he added.
“Even second-hand exposure to paraphernalia or baggies can contain small amounts of fentanyl [that] can be lethal to youngsters,” he continued.
What more has the team found?
The investigation team analyzed calls and reports transmitted to US poison control centers across 49 states between 2015 through 2023.
A total of 3,000 fentanyl poisonings within the age group of 19 and younger resulted in reports to poison control centers, according to the research findings.
Results indicated that fentanyl poisonings affected 59% of teenagers, but 41% of the incidents occurred when children were 12 or younger.
Fentanyl poisonings affected 59% of the male population, according to investigative researchers. Research data indicates that 82% of poisonings amongst children below twelve years old happened by accident.
Respectively, only 66% of children aged 13 to 19 years old showed evidence of fentanyl usage for recreational purposes at the time of poisoning, according to research.
The findings demonstrate that the United States faces an intensive opioid crisis sustained by fentanyl as the main factor, according to researchers.
Research background notes mention how counterfeit pills made with fentanyl dominate the illegal drug market.
Tests indicate that fentanyl exists in a lethal amount within 70% of the fake pills officials seize across the country.