Study shows California's rodenticide restrictions are working, and flags new rodenticides rising in their place
New research from the Integral Ecology Research Center (IERC) offers some of the clearest evidence yet that California's efforts to restrict dangerous rodenticides are paying off in the wild, while also flagging a new contaminant that deserves close attention.
A recent study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine reveals a significant rise in intentional substance exposures at schools involving elementary- and middle-school-aged children in the United States from 2000 to 2024. Researchers analyzed data from U.S. poison centers and found that the overall rate of such exposures increased by 77.5%, with particularly alarming growth rates among younger children and middle-schoolers.
In contrast, high-school-aged adolescents experienced a slight decline in rates. The study emphasized the need for targeted prevention efforts and early intervention strategies, given the higher severity of medical outcomes and hospital admissions among high-school students, often linked to substance abuse and suspected self-harm or suicidal intent.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
