Chemical poisonings in Colombia exhibit distinct patterns depending on intent, with clear social, demographic, and territorial disparities, highlighting the need to strengthen prevention strategies through pesticide regulation and mental health interventions with a territorial and life-cycle approach.
A total of 237,926 poisoning cases were recorded in Colombia between 2015 and 2023, with intentional poisonings outnumbering accidental ones by more than two to one.
Accidental and intentional poisonings differed markedly in the substances involved, with accidental cases linked to other chemicals and pesticides and intentional cases dominated by medications.
Men were significantly more likely to experience accidental poisonings compared to women.
Adolescents faced a dramatically higher risk of intentional poisoning compared to children.
Significant associations between poisoning type and multiple social determinants were identified, including marital status, type of health insurance, and ethnic group.
Intentional poisonings showed statistically significant positive spatial autocorrelation with geographic clusters identified in the departments of Cauca and Tolima.
The study identified a need to regulate highly hazardous pesticides particularly in agriculturally active areas where these products are more widely available.
This research analyzed nearly 238,000 poisoning cases reported in Colombia over nine years (2015–2023), distinguishing between accidental poisonings and intentional poisonings (primarily suicide attempts). The study found that intentional poisonings were far more common, accounting for about 70% of all cases, and were mostly linked to medications, while accidental poisonings — more common in children and men — were more often caused by pesticides and industrial chemicals. Young people, particularly adolescents, faced an enormously elevated risk of intentional poisoning compared to children, and factors like gender, marital status, health insurance type, and ethnic group were all meaningfully associated with poisoning type. The researchers also mapped where poisonings occurred across Colombia and found that intentional poisonings were not randomly distributed — they clustered significantly in the departments of Cauca and Tolima, suggesting that local social or environmental conditions may concentrate suicide-related poisoning risk in those regions. Accidental poisonings, by contrast, were more geographically scattered without a clear clustering pattern, though agricultural regions with greater pesticide access appeared to play a role in those cases. This research suggests that Colombia's poisoning problem is not uniform and requires tailored responses depending on the type of poisoning, the population affected, and the geographic context. Reducing accidental poisonings may require stricter regulation of highly hazardous pesticides in farming communities, while addressing intentional poisonings calls for targeted mental health interventions — especially for adolescents and adults — and safer medication storage practices. The territorial clustering of intentional poisonings points to the value of place-based public health strategies rather than one-size-fits-all national programs.
Ernesto E. Fuentes-Fabra, Melissa Saenz-Ruiz, Justiniano J. Arrázola Díaz. (2026). Accidental and intentional poisonings in Colombia (2015-2023): Social and territorial inequalities affecting public health.. Toxicology Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2026.102328