Over Five Thousand Deaths Annually in Iran Due to Various Poisonings

An official from the Food and Drug Organization in Iran states that in recent years, nearly five thousand five hundred Iranians have died each year due to various types of poisoning. Yasna Behnam, the secretary of the Central Drug and Poison Information Center of the Food and Drug Organization, announced this news in an interview with the Isna news agency, citing the source of this statistic as the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization. She identified the most common cause of fatal poisoning in recent years as 'substance abuse of drugs and stimulants,' which accounts for 54 percent of all poisoning-related deaths. She also mentioned the methods of drug or stimulant consumption leading to death, such as 'consuming large quantities of various drugs, consumption with the intent of suicide, or accidental consumption, especially in children,' as well as ingestion of large amounts by traffickers. This official from the Food and Drug Organization pointed to numerous cases of children dying after accidentally ingesting the contents of bottles containing addiction treatment drugs and methadone syrup, calling for serious attention to the storage conditions of methadone syrup. She reported that drug poisoning, with a prevalence of 34 percent, is the second leading cause of hospital admissions for poisoning in Iran after drug poisoning, with methadone and tramadol being the most common causes of drug-related poisoning, followed by opium and crystal meth. Yasna Behnam also identified 'rice pills, pesticides, alcohol, rodenticides, cyanide, etc.' as the next leading cause of poisoning-related deaths, accounting for 20 percent of the total poisoning mortality in the country. According to her, more than half of the poisoning cases from these toxins were due to rice pills, with 10 percent of poisoning deaths in 2016 attributed to this substance. Based on the statements of this official from the Food and Drug Organization, carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for 11 to 17 percent of poisoning-related deaths, primarily due to 'improper use of gas heating appliances' such as heaters, water heaters, and packages, which is 'very common' in Iran. She stated that the highest rate of visits to reference poisoning hospitals in Iran is due to 'drug poisoning,' which accounts for 'between 45 to 80 percent' of poisoning-related admissions. She referred to the Legal Medicine Organization's announcement regarding the increase in drug-related deaths from less than 10 percent to over 16 percent, noting that this figure has been declining since 2015 and currently stands at 12 percent. The most commonly used drugs in poisoning cases were 'opioid analgesics, sedatives, antidepressants, and then non-opioid analgesics.' Deaths from poisoning in men are four times higher than in women. The secretary of the Central Drug and Poison Information Center of the Food and Drug Organization further stated that the mortality rate from poisoning in Iranian men is 'much higher' than in women. According to the Legal Medicine Organization, 'nearly 80 percent of poisoning-related deaths occur in men, while nearly 20 percent occur in women.' Yasna Behnam indicated that deaths from poisoning in men in Iran are 'four times' that of women and are 'mainly' due to the consumption of 'more dangerous substances.' However, she noted that these statistics vary across different provinces in Iran and added that 'the gender differentiation of poisonings does not follow a similar pattern across the country.' This official from the Food and Drug Organization also stated that drug poisoning is more prevalent in women, while poisoning with narcotic substances and alcohol is more common in men. According to her, the highest prevalence of poisonings in Iran is among 'housewives,' and since '89 percent of poisoning cases occur at home,' ensuring home safety is of great importance. She also identified the majority of poisoning patients visiting hospitals in Iran as being in the 'young age range of 20 to 40 years,' followed by 'teenagers, those over 40 years, and those under 12 years.' This official from the Food and Drug Organization also declared that the most dangerous age group in terms of poisoning is 'children under five years,' adding that 'poisoning, especially with chemicals and oil, can have dangerous consequences for children.' In the current year, an official from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization reported the death of 153 people last year due to drinking counterfeit alcoholic beverages. In June of this year, the Legal Medicine Organization of Tehran Province reported the death of 149 individuals in 2016 due to rice pill poisoning, adding that the number of victims in 2016 had increased compared to the previous year.