NPR
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U.S. Life Expectancy Drops Amid ‘Disturbing’ Rise In Overdoses And Suicides

Syringes of fentanyl, an opioid painkiller, sit in an inpatient facility in Salt Lake City. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid-related overdoses have contributed to the life expectancy drop in the U.S.

“These sobering statistics are a wakeup call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable,” says CDC Director Robert Redfield.

(Image credit: Rick Bowmer/AP)