Artificial Turf
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Building Materials & Home Structures · CPSC Code 1857
Up 84% over 5 years
The verdict
Artificial Turf carry a danger score of 40/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 1,041 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 84% over the last five years.
- 40/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 1,041
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1857 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 40/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for artificial turf - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,041 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+84%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Artificial Turf (CPSC product code 1857, in the Building Materials & Home Structures category) generate an estimated 1,041 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 20,810 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 40/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 84% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (3,065 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (116 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for artificial turf is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 3,876 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by concussion to the head (2,884 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 7,964 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 6.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how artificial turf fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 481 | 429 | |
| 5-14 | 4,965 | 2,069 | |
| 15-24 | 5,362 | 2,602 | |
| 25-34 | 1,810 | 498 | |
| 35-44 | 531 | 122 | |
| 45-54 | 367 | 366 | |
| 55-64 | 204 | 261 | |
| 65-74 | 186 | 31 | |
| 75+ | 192 | 332 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Leg | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Fracture | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Knee | Laceration | |
| Elbow | Other | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
9YOM PATIENT WAS PLAYING AT RECESS AND A CLASSMATE PICKED HIM UP AND THREW HIM TO THE GROUND. HE HIT HIS HEAD ON FAKE GRASS. HE HAS PAIN TO THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. DX: HEAD INJURY
20YOM PRESENTS TO THE ED WITH CONCERN FOR ALLERGIC REACTION. OCCURRED ABOUT 2-3 HOURS AGO AFTER PLAYING *** ON *** WHEN PT NOTICED ITCHY RAD RASH ON HIS ARMS AND STARTED FEELING LIKE HIS THROAT WAS SWELLING DX: ALLERGIC REACTION
30YOM PATIENT WAS PLAYING WITH HIS KIDS ON ARTIFICIAL TURF AND HE WAS LAYING ON THE GROUND, HE STOOD UP AND TURNED TO THE RIGHT AND HIS FOOT STAYED PLANTED AND HE FELT A POP. DX: KNEE PAIN, LEFT KNEE INJURY
12 YOM WAS ON THE PLAYGROUND AND WAS PUSHED BACKWARD STRIKING HIS HEAD ON GRASS TURF. DX: ACUTE, HEAD INJURY, CONCUSSION
10YOF, AT SCHOOL ANOTHER CHILD COLLIDED WITH HER WHILE RUNNING CAUSING HER TO FALL AND STRIKING HEAD ONTO ARTIFICIAL TURF NO LOSS OF CONSCIENCE COMPLAINING OF DIZZINESS DX: HEAD INJURY
81YOF, ON *** TRIPPED OVER A TURF OF SPORTS FIELD AND FELL LANDING ONTO CONCRETE HITTING KNEE DX: LACERATION OF LEFT KNEE; CONTUSION OF LEFT KNEE
80YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE SLIPPED AND FELL ON ARTIFICIAL GRASS ONTO CONCRETE SEWER. DX: PATELLA FRACTURE, TRAUMATIC HEMATOMA OF FOREHEAD, FALL
55YOM WALKING ON UNEVEN SURFACE BETWEEN TURF AND A HARD SURFACE AND STEPPED ON THE EDGE AND FELT A POP IN HIS HAMSTRING DX: LT HAMSTRING PAIN
11YOM PRESENTS WITH A FOREARM INJURY AFTER A FALL ON TURF SAME DAY. DX: FRACTURE OF DISTAL RADIUS
13YOF PRESENTS WITH WRIST PAIN AFTER A SLIP AND FALL WHILE RUNNING ON TURF. DX: LEFT WITHOUT BEING SEEN
5YOM WAS PLAYING ON THE TURF WHEN A 7YO KID KICKED HIM IN HIS FOREHEAD, CAUSING HIM TO FALL BACKWARDS AND HIT HIS POSTERIOR HEAD ON THE TURF. INTENT NOT STATED. DX: CONCUSSION
3YOF STUCK SEVERAL PIECES OF PLAYGROUND TERF INTO HER L EAR DX: FOREIGN BODY OF LEFT EAR
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
We had Progreen arifical turf R69F dog turf installed in our yard in April 2100. Prior to installing the turf we asked numerous questions including if the turf got hot. We were told it gets warm, slightly warmer than natural grass. But never hot enough to cause a problem or prevent usage. A few weeks later when the temperature started to warm up so did the turf. Not hot but very warm. I placed a call to the company and was told to give it a little drink of water and it would cool off. I questioned if it was going to get so hot we couldn' t use it and was assured it would not. Memorial weekend the temps hit the 80's and the turf was to hot to walk on for us or our dog. It does cool for a brief peroid after watering but then heats back up. As the temperature continues to climb so does the turfs temperature. This is truly a safety issue for pets and people. There was no warning in the literature nor were we told it is not safe for sunny areas. Now several thousand dollars later I am worried if my dog or relatives will sustain a burn from this.
About 6 months ago we purchased and had installed a 20 x 13' piece of "Tiger Turf'artificial grass in a children's play area of our back yard. At first it looked great. Then we noticed some of the blades were curling and hardening. They were melting! We look the temperature of the grass surface at about 11:00 am on a sunny day in the low 70's, and it was 165 degrees! Somehow,the artificialgrass concentrates and holds the sun's heat at it's surface. People, particularly small children,could easily be burned by the shockingly hot "grass". Potential users should be warned that artificial grass should NOT be used in sunny areas where people might walk barefooted, or lay down. It looks so inviting,a perfect green lawn,but it is BURNING HOT!
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to artificial turf on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are artificial turf?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, artificial turf have a danger score of 40/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 1,041 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from artificial turf?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 3,876 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from artificial turf increasing or decreasing?
Up 84% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for artificial turf injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 7,964 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by artificial turf?
Of all ER visits involving artificial turf, approximately 6.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with artificial turf?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Building Materials & Home Structures
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 40/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
