2015 to 2023 Saw Increase in Pediatric Nonfatal Fentanyl Exposures
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, March 17, 2025 -- From 2015 to 2023, there was an increase in the number of pediatric nonfatal fentanyl exposures reported to poison centers, according to a study published online March 7 in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
Joseph J. Palamar, M.P.H., Ph.D., from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues conducted a repeated cross-sectional study to examine characteristics of pediatric nonfatal fentanyl exposures reported to poison centers in 49 states from 2015 to 2023. The authors further examined the association of these characteristics with major outcomes.
A total of 3,009 nonfatal pediatric exposures were reported to poison centers: 58.9 and 41.1 percent among those aged 13 to 19 and 0 to 12, respectively. The researchers found that from 2015 to 2023, there was an increase in the number of exposures from 69 to 893 (1,194.2 percent increase). Exposures increased by 924.3 and 1,506.3 percent among those aged 0 to 12 and 13 to 19, respectively. The most prevalent route of administration was ingestion-only use (76.9 and 54.1 percent in those aged 0 to 12 and 13 to 19, respectively). From 2015 to 2023, the prevalence of ingestion-only use increased from 44.1 to 67.9 percent of exposures. Most patients aged 0 to 12 years were exposed unintentionally (81.7 percent versus 1.0 percent among those aged 13 to 19 years), while most aged 13 to 19 misused or abused fentanyl (65.7 versus 1.8 percent). Forty-one percent of exposures resulted in a major (life-threatening) event.
"Parents and others, too, need to be careful to not leave fentanyl, whether licit or illicit, out in the open around unsupervised children," Palamar said in a statement.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2025
Read this next
ACC: Microplastic Exposure Tied to Chronic Disease Prevalence
WEDNESDAY, April 2, 2025 -- Microplastic exposure may increase the risk for chronic diseases, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of...
Microplastics Found in Filtered Solutions Used for Medical IV Infusions
FRIDAY, March 21, 2025 -- Microplastics appear to be present in filtered solutions used for medical intravenous infusions, with about 7,500 particles/L found in infusion solutions...
Mutational Signatures Tied to Haloalkane Exposure Are Enriched in Firefighters
MONDAY, March 10, 2025 -- In a study published online March 10 in Cancer, authors identified gliomas with mutational signatures associated with haloalkane exposure in individuals...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.