Deaths from poisoning in Barcelona (Spain), 1986-1989

Between 1986 and 1989, 3226 violent deaths were recorded in Barcelona, 489 of which were due to poisoning. The yearly distribution of these 489 deaths was: 1986, 74; 1987, 98; 1988, 134; and 1989, 183. Of all poisoning deaths, 316 were due to narcotic opiates use, 54 to the inhalation of toxic gases, 49 to the use of psychoactive agents, 37 to caustic products and the others 33 cases to various toxic agents (insecticides, methanol, solvents, mushrooms, etc.). Opioid use is currently the leading cause of death by poisoning in Barcelona, and affects a young population with a mean age between 25 and 27 years. In the groups corresponding to toxic gases and psychoactive drugs, the mean ages are 48 and 45.7 years, respectively. The oldest population was found in the group where death was caused by caustic agents, where the mean age is 56.5 years. The male sex was predominant in all groups except that of caustic agents, where 56.8% of the victims were women. This study confirms the notable increase in opiate- related deaths in the city of Barcelona (up from 27 cases in 1987 to 158 in 1989) and shows stability in the numbers for the other groups. Among the different hypotheses concerning of this remarkable increase in deaths related to opiate use, the aging of consumers and changes in the purity or composition of the product seem to be the most probable.