Auto plant closures tied to surge in opioid overdose deaths

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-jobs-drugs/auto-plant-closures-tied-to-surge-in-opioid-overdose-deaths-idUSKBN1YZ18T

Lisa Rapaport
December 31, 2019 / 1:40 PM

Opioid overdose deaths have spiked in the wake of automotive assembly plant closures across the U.S. South and Midwest, a new study suggests.

Plant closures were associated with an 85% surge in opioid overdose mortality rates among working-age adults five years later, compared with what would have been expected if these factories had remained open, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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The findings may not be unique to the auto industry, Barnett added, although more research is needed to assess how much factory closures in other sectors might impact drug use or fatalities.