Caustics
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.
Home Workshop Tools & Equipment · CPSC Code 968
Up 125% over 5 years
The verdict
Caustics carry a danger score of 43/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 143 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 125% over the last five years.
- 43/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 143
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 19.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 968 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 43/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for caustics - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume143 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)19.8%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+125%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Caustics (CPSC product code 968, in the Home Workshop Tools & Equipment category) generate an estimated 143 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 2,855 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 43/100 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 125% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (440 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2019 (5 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for caustics is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 1,302 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burn, chemical to the eyeball (364 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 840 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 19.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
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 caustics 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 | 790 | 50 | |
| 5-14 | 158 | 89 | |
| 15-24 | 197 | 225 | |
| 25-34 | 169 | 16 | |
| 35-44 | 198 | 72 | |
| 45-54 | 170 | 154 | |
| 55-64 | 284 | 31 | |
| 65-74 | 102 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 69 | 79 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Eyeball | Burn, Chemical | |
| Hand | Burn, Chemical | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Face | Burn, Chemical | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Burn, Chemical | |
| Not Stated/unk | Burn, Chemical | |
| Pubic Region | Burn, Chemical | |
| Finger | Burn, Chemical | |
| Ankle | Burn, Chemical | |
| Foot | Burn, Chemical | |
| Lower Arm | Burn, Chemical | |
| Eyeball | Hemorrhage |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
52YOM C/O EYE PROBLEM. SPRAYED *** COIL CLEANER IN EYE. NOW WITH BLURRED VISION, DISCHARGE, AND REDNESS. BILATERAL RED CONJUNCTIVA. PUPILS ARE EQUAL. POISON CONTROL CONTACTED AND RECOMMENDED OPHTHALMOLOGY FOLLOW UP. DX: EYE IRRITATION, CHEMICAL IN EYE
53YOF STATES HER HUSBAND FILLED A WATER BOTTLE WITH DEGREASER AND PT TOOK IT, THOUGHT IT WAS WATER, PT DRANK 10 CC, C/O OF NAUSEA, BURNING TO MOUTH, THROAT, EPIGASTRIC PAIN, DX ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF CAUSTIC ALKALI
56YOM WITH BURN TO RLE AFTER SPILLING CAUSTIC PEARLS ON IT DX; BURN INJURY
37YOM, C/O EYE PAIN, GOT COIL CLEANER LEFT EYE DX: LEFT EYE PAIN
27 YOM with history of schizophrenia presents following ingesting *** disinfecting cleaner.DX: Accidental ingestion of caustic alkali
25yom reports coming into contact with *** which is used to remove grafitti, contains potassium hydroxide Dx: chemical burn, r pointer finger
37 yom drank about a tablespoon of***cleaning product in water instead of his medication by mistake dX: ingestion corrosive chemical
65 yom had boat cleaner splash into eyes(***) acid and altered his eyesight DX: chemical exposure eye
14YOF PT HERE FOR EXPOSURE TO *** SOLUTION WHILE IN BIOLOGY CLASS FOR APPX 2 MINS, PT VOMITED ONCES AND IS COMPLAINING OF THROAT TIGHTNESS. DX LWBS
3YOM INGESTED A ROOFING CLEANING LIQUID FROM FATHERS BAG IN HIS TRUCK. PARENTS SPOKE TO POISON CONTROL, CHILD COUGHING AND DRY HEAVING IMMEDIATELY AFTER DRINKING THE LIQUID. DX: ACCIDENTAL HYDROCARBON INGESTION, ABDOMINAL PAIN, MOUTH PAIN
75 YOM C/O CLEANING HIS SHOWERHEAD YESTERDAY WITH *** . THE SHOWERHEAD DROPPED AND HIT HIM NEAR HIS SCRTUM. REDNESS, SWELLING AND DRAINAGE FROM TESTICULAR AREA. DX SUPERFICIAL BURN OF SCROTUM
26 YOM, PLAYING BASKETBALL, PERFORMING A TRICK SHOT AND KNOCKED A BUCKET WITH HYDROCHLORIC AND HYDROFLUORIC ACID IN IT ONT HIS ANKLE. PT REMOVED SHOE AND SOCK AND WASHED FOOT OFF YESTERDAY. REPORTS IT HAPPENED 2 DAYS AGO. PT NOW PRESENTS WITH MULTIPLE LARGE BLISTERS TO ANKLE. DX: CHEMICAL BURN TO ANKLE
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to caustics on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are caustics?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, caustics have a danger score of 43/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 143 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from caustics?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 1,302 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from caustics increasing or decreasing?
Up 125% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for caustics injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 840 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by caustics?
Of all ER visits involving caustics, approximately 19.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (80.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with caustics?
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 Home Workshop Tools & Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 43/100 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 0-4 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.
