{
  "id": 10676830,
  "title": "Study shows rising rates of reported intentional substance exposures at school",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/study-shows-rising-rates-of-reported-intentional-substance-exposures",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-29T11:20:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-intentional-substance-exposures-school.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "A new study found that rates of intentional substance exposures at school reported to U.S. poison centers increased substantially among elementary- and middle-school-aged children from 2000 through 2024, while high-school-aged adolescents continued to experience the highest rates of serious medical outcomes and hospital admissions.",
  "key_points": [
    "Intentional substance exposures at schools increased by 77.5% from 2000 to 2024",
    "Younger children and middle-schoolers saw the most significant rise in exposure rates",
    "High-school students experienced a slight decline in intentional substance exposure rates"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}