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15-Nov-2008
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Arch Hellen Med, 2008, 25(Supplement 1):27-33 REVIEW Message 4: “Guard against accidental poisoning” D. KENDRICK |
Poisoning is the third commonest cause of unintentional injury death in the European Union (EU). In 2000, an estimated 315,000 people worldwide died as a result of unintentional poisoning. This paper presents: (a) the magnitude and the socio-economic burden of this epidemic in the countries of the EU, (b) the underlying risk factors and (c) the evidence based preventive practices that reduce the likelihood of poisoning occurrence. Some of these measures are therefore included in the European Code Against Injuries (ECAI) aiming to raise public awareness regarding injury prevention. Although poisoning involves all age groups, children under the age of 5 and older people above the age of 65 are at greater risk; thus a particular attention has been given to these two age groups.
Key words: European Code Against Injuries, Poisoning, Prevention.
