Balls, Other Or Not Specified
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.
Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment · CPSC Code 5016
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Balls, Other Or Not Specified carry a danger score of 38/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 20,958 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 38/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 20,958
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 3.2%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 5016 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 38/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for balls, other or not specified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume20,958 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)3.2%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-8%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Balls, Other Or Not Specified (CPSC product code 5016, in the Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment category) generate an estimated 20,958 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 335,328 ER-treated injuries across the 16-year span from 2009 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 38/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (26,607 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2009 (10,251 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for balls, other or not specified is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 25,945 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (16,765 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 166,305 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 3.2% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 39 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how balls, other or not specified 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 (2009–2024)
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 | 48,719 | 26,900 | |
| 5-14 | 102,206 | 63,995 | |
| 15-24 | 18,299 | 14,500 | |
| 25-34 | 8,643 | 8,127 | |
| 35-44 | 8,193 | 5,523 | |
| 45-54 | 4,631 | 5,530 | |
| 55-64 | 3,298 | 5,032 | |
| 65-74 | 2,967 | 2,997 | |
| 75+ | 2,081 | 3,587 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
3YOM WAS PLAYING WITH SOME TOY CARS WHEN ANOTHER CHILD AT SHELTER THREW A HEAVY BALL AT PT THAT CAUSED H IM EO FALL AND HIT HEAD, PT HAD LOCK, AGITATED WHEN HE WOKE UP, DX HEAD INJURY
15YOM WAS AT SCHOOL AND ACCIDENTALLY HIT IN THE RIGHT EYE WITH A BALL DX: CONTUSION TO EYE
4YOM WAS PLAYING BALL IN THE HOSUE AND BROTHER FELL ONTO RIGHT LWOER LEG DX: FRACTURED LOWER LEG
51YOF TO ER FOR POST FALL 2 DAYS HEAD INJURY, PT SAYS WAS DRINKING 2 DAYS ( NO BAL) AGO & TRIPPED ON A BALL & FELL HIT HEAD 12/31/23, NO LOC AT THE TIME, HAS HAD HEADACHE SINCE, PAIN TO RIGHT SHOULDER FROM FALL ALSO DX FALL, HEADACHE, PAIN RIGHT SHOULDER
12YOM PRESENTS AFTER SWALLOWING A SMALL METAL BALL. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN STOMACH
47YOF, PLAYING BALL WITH HER 60LB PUPPY WHICH RAN INTO HER LEG RESULTING IN HYPERPRONATION OF LEFT ANKLE, DX: SPRAIN OF LEFT ANKLE
7YOF SWALLOWED A SMALL RED BALL DX FOREIGN BODY INGESTION
30YOM, WENT TO PICK UP A BALL DIDN'T SEE A PIECE OF GLASS AND GOT HIS FINGER ON IT, DX: LACERATION OF LEFT LITTLE FINGER
12 YOF C/O CONCUSSION AND SHOULDER PAIN S/P RECENTLY PLAYING AT SCHOOL AND WAS ACCIDENTALLY HIT WITH A BALL. DX: CONCUSSION; SHOULDER PAIN
9YOF WAS INJURED IN AN UNSPECIFIED INCIDENT INVOLVING A BALL DX: CONTUSION OF FINGER *
4 YOF PRESENTS WITH DRY HEAVES S/P PLAYING WITH A *** BALL THAT BROKE WHILE IN PATIENT'S HANDS AND INTO HER MOUTH AND SHE SWALLOWED SOME OF ITS CONTENTS. DX: INGESTION OF NONTOXIC SUBSTANCE, ACCIDENTAL OR UNINTENTIONAL
17YOM KICKED A BALL AT SCHOOL AND DISLOCATED LEG. DX: LEFT PATELLA DISLOCATION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I bought a pink & purple stretch ball at Dollar Tree. It burst and white foam got all over my 18 month old. I do not know if there is chemicals inside that ball.
I purchased a play ball for my grandchild and set it in the guest room until she arrives. It exploded and went in two directions while no one was in the room. This is not safe for a child's toy! Manufacturer was HEDSTROM (800) 765-9665 Imprint on the ball included numbers 54-3303W and A 0201 It was purchased at Walmart Bar Code is 3314903303
I, [REDACTED], was playing with the "egg" version of the Splat Ball manufactured by Ja-Ru Inc. and the ball burst dowsing my left eye. The excrusiating pain forced me to ripo my shirt off in hope of whiping the solution out of my eye. Luckily the was an RN at the event I was attending, who had a syrenge and some Saline solution which she flushed and whiped the disgusting scented gel/formula from my eye as it balled like when water hits oil! I cannot believe this is a children's toy. I have since learned of the insane list of chemicals in this product: water, white oil, glycerol, sebs, phenoxyethanol diazolidinyl urea, bronopol, color sodium laureth sulphate. Sounds more like a list of chemicals for heavy duty cleaner which would have plenty of warning on the label. This toy only has one choking hazard warning and no way to contact the company who produced it. I don't know about any of the other cases on this site or if there are anymore who would like to join me in a lawsuit upon this company because I have have lost thousands in the past week I have spent at home on the couch in pain from the abrasions to my eye. Feel free to contact me via email [REDACTED].
My daughter was playing with a sensory ball purchased off of Amazon and exploded a gel all over her causing a rash and staining clothes and carpeting in our home .
My almost 2 year old was playing with her vtech move and crawl ball that she has had for over a year now. She had her ball and was walking around the house and she walked into the kitchen. I heard a pop so I went in to see what had happened and a chunk was missing from the ball and wires were exposed from the internal motor of the ball. It was still moving, making noise, and lighting up. I checked it, and it appears that when she dropped it, one of the animals that you can push popped out and exposed the wiring mechanism for the ball. I was shocked that it did this. I don't think that an infant toy should have wires that are so easily exposed. When I called vtech, they didn't seem concerned in the least bit about exposed wires in an infant toy.
My 8 month old son was playing with a plastic sensory ball and a piece of plastic became dislodged in his mouth
Today about 11:30 AM i along with my son and his counsler went to Dolor General Store, and bought a toy called splat ball from their for 1.00 USD. when we got home he proceded to play with the Ball and when doing so it open up, and the chemical that was in the ball got all over him and his counsler. he cleaned himself off and after a few hours noticed that he had red Bloches all over him and when examining him closer niticed they where blisters. every where is was exposted to the chemical. i am now heading to the ER to get the area cleaned. if you have any questions please call [REDACTED]. Ask for me [REDACTED]
My mother-n-law and 5 year old daughter went to a local dollar general store in soperton georgia, where my daughter got a splatball that looks like a tomato. The ball was purchased on July 6th 2011 and she didnt really play that much with it until the day after and then that following friday around 730pm she was lying on the bed watching her DVD and she had the splatball in her right hand sqeezing it when all of a sudden it busted. I heard it and then she screamed the loudest scream i had ever heard. My daughter started crying and telling me how bad it was burning and hurting, so i put her in the tub and started flushing her eyes. I done this for about 10 minutes and then when i got her out i started making sure she could see me and she could but still crying and saying that her eyes were still burning and the right eye was hurting bad. My husband and i sat with her for about 10 minutes and tried to see if the redness and pain would ease up but we both decided to take her on to the local ER. we didnt want to take any chances with her eye sight so that is when we loaded up. After being seen at the ER and released the doctor said that she had conjunctivitis due to chemical exposure. We were sent home with oinment and told to follow up with local eye doctor if pain or redness continued. The next day her eyes especially the right one was so full of infection that it was unreal. needlesss to say i tried to contact the store where it was purchased to find a contact number for the company where they purchased it from but never got a response from them so i went straight to the local news station WTOC channel out of savannah georgia and told my story. I hope that people all around the world will watch and help in getting this removed from the shelves and any other dangerous products that our kids do not need. i havent had any luck in finding out the ingredients but am still persuing it an will not stop until this product has been done away with.
Showing 8 of 39 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to balls, other or not specified on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are balls, other or not specified?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, balls, other or not specified have a danger score of 38/100 (low risk). An estimated 20,958 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from balls, other or not specified?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 25,945 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from balls, other or not specified increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for balls, other or not specified injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 166,305 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by balls, other or not specified?
Of all ER visits involving balls, other or not specified, approximately 3.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with balls, other or not specified?
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 Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 38/100 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 5-14 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.