Children under five years have the highest hospitalisation rates for ‘Other and unspecified chemicals and noxious substances’, ‘Organic solvents and halogenated hydrocarbons and their vapours’ and ‘Pesticides’

We have updated our 'Unintentional hazardous substances-related hospitalisations' indicators in the hazardous substances domain. These are the key facts:

  • In 2020, there were 419 unintentional hazardous substances-related hospitalisations. The rate has fallen since 2001, and this was driven primarily by decreasing rates among males.
  • Children under five years have the highest hospitalisation rates for ‘Other and unspecified chemicals and noxious substances’, ‘Organic solvents and halogenated hydrocarbons and their vapours’ and ‘Pesticides’.
  • The top three substances/substance categories resulting in hospitalisation in 2020 were chemical and noxious substances, petrol, corrosive substances and other gases.

For more information, please visit the hazardous substances pages here.