Hazardous substances-related deaths in New Zealand

This section presents information on deaths related to hazardous substances in Aotearoa New Zealand, from two sources. Data for 2007–2021 is sourced from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) and includes deaths where the coroner has completed the investigation. Data for 2001–2018 is sourced from the Ministry of Health’s New Zealand Mortality Collection and includes deaths registered in New Zealand.

Deaths from hazardous substances are often preventable

Every year, people in New Zealand continue to die from exposure to hazardous substances. Common exposures include inhalation of carbon monoxide, huffing of butane [2], and exposure to pesticides, solvents, cleaning agents and paints. These deaths are often preventable [1].  

Key facts from 2023 Surveillance Report on hazardous substances-related deaths reported to the coroner in New Zealand

1. Motor vehicle exhaust and other carbon monoxide sources caused half '37' of all unintentional hazardous substances deaths from 2007–21.

2. Toluene was the third most common substance causing unintentional deaths from 2016–21 but was less common prior to this.

3. Following restricted access to butane in 2013, there has been a marked decline in unintentional deaths from huffing among teenagers and individuals under the age of 30.

4. Carbon monoxide, predominantly from motor vehicle exhaust, caused seven times as many intentional deaths as all other hazardous substances combined from 2007–21.

Key facts from the 2021 Surveillance Report on hazardous substances-related deaths registered in New Zealand

1. In 2018, there were 40 hazardous substances-related deaths in New Zealand. Mortality rates have reduced by 70% between 2001–04 (2.8 deaths per 100,000) and 2015–18 (0.8 deaths per 100,000).
2. Mortality rates have decreased by over 60% from 2001–18 for European/Other and Māori ethnic groups. No change in rates has been recorded for Pacific Peoples over this time.
3. From 2001–18, unintentional deaths made up over a third of all hazardous substance-related
   deaths for Māori and Pacific Peoples, far higher than in European/Other and Asian ethnic groups
   (7% and 4% respectively).
4. From 2001–18 carbon monoxide accounted for 78% of all hazardous substance-related deaths.
   However, gases, fumes and other vapours are the only category that caused substantially more
   deaths in the 2010’s than in the 2000’s.
5. Intentional hazardous substance mortality rates in 2015–18 (0.7 per 100,000) were almost
   four times lower than in 2001–04 (2.6 per 100,000) while unintentional rates have remained
   at between 0.1–0.2 deaths per 100,000.

Information about the data

Deaths reported to the coroner

The data presented in this Surveillance report were extracted from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) on 19 July 2023. The organisation source of the data is the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety.

Deaths registered in New Zealand

This indicator reports on hazardous substances-related deaths registered in New Zealand using data from 2001 onwards. This indicator is an analysis of the most recent data available from The Mortality Collection Dataset, provided to EHINZ by the Ministry of Health in August 2021. Data has been pooled to give sufficient numbers for analysis where appropriate.

This surveillance report includes data covered by the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 and Health Act’s
“poisoning arising from chemical contamination of the environment”. For more information, see metadata for ICD-10 codes that are covered in this analysis.

Crude rates presented in this report do not take into account varying age distributions when comparing between populations.

Age-standardised rates presented in this report take into account varying age distributions when comparing between populations.