Accidental poisoning is just as likely to happen with household products as it is with medicines.
Each year more than 100,000 patients are admitted. It is also implicated in about 2 per cent of all injury deaths in children in developed countries and about 5 per cent in developing countries. Most cases are either intentional overdose in adults or accidental ingestion in children. Drugs Accidental drug overdose is fairly common, although severe cases are rare. In children the most serious accidental poisoning occurs with iron, methadone and tricyclic antidepressants and death may result.