Final answer:
There isn't an exact current figure provided, but historical data suggests fatal accidental poisonings in the U.S. have largely been attributable to drug overdoses, particularly opioids with an average of 130 deaths daily in 2019. Alcohol intoxication also causes around 2,200 deaths directly each year.
Step-by-step explanation:
Approximately how many fatal accidental poisonings occur in the United States every year? It is challenging to provide an exact number as statistics change over time, though trends can be understood with historical data. From 1994-2011, we have data on motor vehicle traffic crashes, but drug overdoses have since become a leading cause of accidental death. In the years leading up to 2014, almost 40 percent more accidental deaths were attributed to drug overdoses than car crashes with heroin and opioid painkillers being major contributors.
It's been reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) that by 2019, opioids were causing an average of 130 deaths daily, an indicator of the critical opioid crisis. Beyond drugs, other fatal accidental poisonings originate from sources like alcohol and foodborne illnesses. Acute alcohol intoxication is responsible for about 2,200 deaths yearly, with indirect deaths numbering over 30,000. However foodborne illnesses from known pathogens account for fewer fatalities in comparison to these numbers.