Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (when Source Is Unknown
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 1899
Down 32% over 5 years
The verdict
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (when Source Is Unknown carry a danger score of 38/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 7,498 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 32% over the last five years.
- 38/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 7,498
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 7.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1899 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 38/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume7,498 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)7.7%
- Fatality rate0.18%
- 5-year trend-32%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (when Source Is Unknown (CPSC product code 1899, in the Building Materials & Home Structures category) generate an estimated 7,498 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 149,960 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 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 declining by about 32% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2011 (12,614 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (3,731 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown is anoxia to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 147,312 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by poisoning to the all parts body (1,334 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 25,917 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 7.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.18%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown 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 | 10,927 | 8,404 | |
| 5-14 | 11,944 | 13,973 | |
| 15-24 | 8,258 | 13,435 | |
| 25-34 | 8,445 | 17,213 | |
| 35-44 | 5,558 | 10,692 | |
| 45-54 | 5,407 | 9,519 | |
| 55-64 | 4,059 | 7,818 | |
| 65-74 | 3,039 | 4,649 | |
| 75+ | 1,854 | 4,682 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Head | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Hand | Other | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Not Stated/unk | Other | |
| Internal | Burns, Thermal | |
| Shoulder | Burns, Thermal | |
| Finger | Puncture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
93YOF EXPOSED TO CARBON MONOXIDE LEVEL OVER 200. DENIES SICKNESS AND DIZZINESS. COHB 53DX CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSURE
2YOM MOTHER OF CHILD REPORTS A GAS LEAK AT THEIR HOME, SHE REPORTS SMELLING GAS, THERE WAS A LIMITED TIME FOR EXPOSURE TO HER CHILD DX: CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSURE
58YOM PRESENTS AFTER BEING FOUND CONFUSED AND LAYING ON THE GROUND IN A ROOM ATTACHED TO THE CARWASH WHERE HE WORKS, ROOM FOUND TO HAVE CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS ALERTING, CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN LEVEL = 36 DX: CARBON MONOXIDE TOXICITY
28YOM PRESENTS AFTER WAKING WITH A HEADACHE, CONCERN FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN=23.8 DX: CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
22YOF PRESENTS AFTER WAKING WITH A HEADACHE AND HAVING A SYNCOPAL EPISODE, CONCERN FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN=4.1 DX: CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
9MOF PRESENTS AFTER MOM AND DAD ALSO WOKE UP WITH HEADACHES THIS MORNING AND ARE CONCERNED FOR POSSIBLE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN=7.2 DX: ACCIDENTAL POISONING BY CARBON MONOXIDE
5 MOF GAS LEAK AT HOME, SOB DX; CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
21 YOF GAS LEAK AT HOME, COUGHING, VOMITING DX; CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
44YOM BIBEMS FROM A MOSQUE WHERE THERE WAS A GAS LEAK AND NOW COMPLAINING OF DIZZINESS WITH CO LEVEL 15. DX: DIZZINESS
8YOF PRESENTS WITH POSSIBLE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AND HEADACHE S/P PTS'S MOTHER STATES THAT THE PT'S SCHOOL HAD A CARBON MONOXIDE LEAD AND THAT THE PTS FEELS WEIRD ALONG WITH HEADACHES AND DIZZINESS. DX: POSSIBLE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
70 YOF FROM HOME WITH NAUSEA AND VOMITING. DAUGHTER REPORTS CARBON MONOXIDE WAS DETECTED IN THE HOUSE BY FIREFIGHTERS. COHGB 2.6 DX NAUSEA, VOMITING
40YOM PRESENTS WITH CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AFTER STAYING AT AN *** AND THE DETECTOR WENT OFF. DX: CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSURE
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown have a danger score of 38/100 (low risk). An estimated 7,498 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown?
The most common injury is anoxia to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 147,312 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown increasing or decreasing?
Down 32% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 25,917 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown?
Of all ER visits involving carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown, approximately 7.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (92.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with carbon monoxide poisoning (when source is unknown?
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 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.
