Paracetamol is commonly used in overdosing because people don't understand how dangerous an overdose is; they don't understand how painful a death from liver failure is; paracetamol is available off the shelf in large quantities; and many people have stocks of it in their homes.

Indeed, your link suggests that long term use is not harmful:

> But in an accompanying editorial, John G. O'Grady, M.D., of the Institute of Liver Studies at King's College Hospital in London cautioned that there's no need for panic, because acetaminophen-associated liver toxicity is uncommon, and the drug itself is not toxic.

> "Measures to minimize acetaminophen hepatotoxicity are important but need to be considered in the context that the apparent scale of the problem is a reflection of the huge number of patients taking acetaminophen with good effects and in the absence of any adverse event," Dr. O'Grady wrote.

> "Educational initiatives to highlight the range of preparations containing acetaminophen, together with reiteration of advice on maximum daily dosing, have potential benefits, especially with respect to unintentional overdosing," he added.

And it says this:

> The data suggest that consistent use of as little as 7.5 g/day of acetaminophen could lead to severe hepatic injury, Dr. Larson and colleagues wrote.

That's a lot! The recommended dose on the box is 4 g per day - 4 doses of 1 g each, with 4 hours in between them.