Our results were obtained from the emergency service at Elche General Hospital, which covers an adult population of 275,076 inhabitants. We studied intoxicated patients aged 15 years and above, during 1988. Our aim was to investigate the etiological and epidemiological circumstances of intoxications. We obtained a prevalence of voluntary cases (61.6%) over accidental cases (38.3%), with self-poisoning being more frequent than drug addiction, in the first group and animal stings being more frequent than domestic or occupational intoxication in the second. Mortality resulted in 1.6% of cases; the etiology of the highest mortality was self-poisoning and the most common toxic substances were caustic substances.