SALT LAKE CITY — The number of reported human exposures to poisons in Utah increased slightly last year to 46,889 total cases, while pesticides made the top 10 poison list for the first time.
According to the 2009 Utah annual report, released this month from the Utah Poison Control Center, there were 204 more poison exposures reported last year as compared to 2008's 46,685 total human cases — about a 0.4 percent increase.
Compared to 10 years ago in 1999, calls to the Utah Poison Center have increased by 3,113 calls and total poisonings have risen by 7,948. That's an average of 154 calls a day that Utah Poison Control Center answers.
Regarding animal poisonings, last year's reported cases dropped significantly from 1,753 in 2008 to only 1,552 in 2009 — a 12.5 percent decrease.
According to Marty Malheiro, spokeswomen for the Utah Poison Control Center, the key difference in Utah human poisonings when compared nationally is that about 63 percent of the total poison exposures in the Beehive State involve children under age 6. That compares nationally to a rate of 50 percent.
Also, she said pesticides made the state's top 10 list for the first time ever, moving up to eighth place.
That puts pesticides ahead of poisonings for all ages involving cough medications and antidepressants. Pesticides also knocked food poisonings out of the top 10 list this year.
The number of under-age-6 poisonings in the state also increased last year, rising from 28,962 in 2008 to 29,692 in 2009. Poisonings for all other age groups decreased, except the age 60-and-over category, which increased by 40 cases to 1,835.
The most dangerous place for poisonings is in the home, where 88.2 percent of all cases in Utah took place last year.
More information, as well as the complete annual Utah report, is available at www.utahpoisoncontrol.org.
e-mail: lynn@desnews.com