Poison deaths ‘peaked in election years’

Press, 27 June 1983, Page 9

Poison deaths ‘peaked in election years’

PA Dunedin Poisoning deaths in New Zealand peaked in election years in the 1970 s — but the trend hardly reflected disenchantment with the calibre of the nation’s potential members of Parliament, an analyst is convinced. “I am sure it is just coincidence,” said the head of the National Poisons Information Centre, Dr I. R. Edwards, commenting on results of a survey on poisonings. Apart from the electionyear highs, the number of deaths throughout New Zealand from poisoning had declined dramatically during the decade, said Dr Edwards, who conducted the survey with Miss A Wilson

and Dr W. A. Temple, of the University of Otago. Their research established that 80 deaths in 1971 had fallen to 30 in 1980, but the decline was not uniform, being punctuated by peaks in 1972-73, 1975, and 1978. The total number of poisonings has also decreased from 6900 in 1971 down to 6000 in 1980 — over a period when the population increased 10 per cent. This was a result of anti-poison-ing campaigns, Dr Edwards believes. The main group at risk from poisoning were children aged two to four. They were at an age when they became mobile without having any regard as to what was safe, Dr Edwards said.

This group accounted for more than 80 per cent of the poisonings from commercial poisons, including rat poisons, paraffins, detergents, weed killers, and household commodities. The researchers concluded that women were much more likely to suffer from drug-related poisonings than men. On the other hand, men have a much higher incidence of commercial poisonings, either from deliberate overdoses or simply being careless with weedkillers or other commercial substances. Deaths from barbiturates fell from a peak of 33 in the early 1970 s to five in 1980.