Poison found to be common killer in Australia: report

A news research on Thursday found poison is the second high cause of accidental deaths in Australia, claiming more lives than those who died from falls, choking and drowning combined.

The top causes of accidental death in Australia have been analyzed in The Year of Living Dangerously report, released by Suncorp Life on Thursday. It broke down 2008 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and identified five categories: roads, poisoning, falls, drowning and choking.

According to the Australia Associated Press, the report showed road accidents were by far the biggest risk, representing 54 percent of all fatal accidents.

Almost 2300 people died by accident in 2008, 25 percent of which were poisoned while 11 percent fell to their death. Only six percent drowned and four percent choked to death.

On a state-by-state basis, using an average of accidental deaths per capita, the report found New South Wales to be the safest state.

Western Australia was found to be the most dangerous, followed by South Australia, Queensland and Victoria.

Source: Xinhua