How often are children and teens exposed to opioid medication?
Each year, opioid medication poisoning causes more than 300 deaths in children and teens.
Every 45 minutes, poison control centers get a call about children and teens exposed to opioid medication.
About 1 in 10 of these cases are admitted to health care facilities.
What ages of children and teens are most at risk?
Young children (ages 5 and younger) account for 60% of these calls.
Most of these cases (86%) are unintentional, like when a child finds pills that are within reach.
Teenagers (ages 13 through 19) account for 30% of the calls.
Most of these cases (72%) are intentional, like when a teen takes their parents' medication.
