Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Toxicologic Exposures in California Emergency Departments in 2011 and Its Risk Factors
Shahram Lotfipour1,2, Connie Au3, Soheil Saadat1
1University of California, Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Irvine, California.
Introduction:
Toxicologic exposures (TE) are a major preventable public health issue, with most cases due to unintentional causes. Although these cases are well documented and reported via the National Poison Data System, there is little information regarding toxicologic exposure cases in the emergency department (ED). The aim of this study was to identify demographic groups at risk for potential poisoning.
Methods:
This was a cross-sectional study. We used data from the California State Emergency Department Database (SEDD) 2011 for statistical analysis.
Results:
The study included 10,124,598 ED visits in California in 2011. The prevalence of TE was 383.4 (379.6-387.3) per 100,000 visits. Toxicologic exposures were most common among patients aged <10 years (555.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 544.5-566.5 per 100,000 visits). Overall, TE was more common among males. White patients showed the highest prevalence of TE compared to other racial groups (P <0.001). Subpopulation analysis showed Native American female patients ages 10-19 had a noticeably higher prevalence of TE (1,464.4, 95% CI: 802.9-2444.9 per 100,000). The prevalence of TE was higher in households of higher median income (P <0.001). Prevalence of TE among those with a history of substance use was also elevated.
Conclusion:
Toxicologic exposure cases in the ED are elevated in particular age and race/ethnicity groups, as well as among those with a diagnosis of substance use disorder. The strength of association between these factors and TE in the general population may be different because we examined ED visits only. Further preventive and education strategies are necessary and should target the demographic groups identified in this epidemiological study.
More Related Videos
16:02Demonstration of the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility Tool for Rapid Assessment of Protein Conservation
Published on: February 10, 2023
08:39Generation of Electronic Cigarette Aerosol by a Third-Generation Machine-Vaping Device: Application to Toxicological Studies
Published on: August 25, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Types of Toxins
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Toxic Reactions: Overview
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Hazard Ratio
For example, in a clinical trial...
Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison
Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects
Once absorbed into the systemic circulation, local anesthetics can affect the organs that depend on the functioning of sodium...
Relative Risk