CPSC NEISS · code 1604

Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters

Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters: danger rank #137 of 838 is not ER-volume rank #396 of 838 (2,345 estimated ER visits a year; declining by about 18% over the last five years).

Personal Care & Safety Products CPSC NEISS through 2024

Danger score versus ER volume

Danger score versus ER volume

According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters ranks #137 of 838 by danger score (41/100) at ER-volume #396 of 838 (2,345/yr). They are not the same ranking.

#137
danger rank of 838
#396
ER-volume rank of 838
41/100
danger score
2,345/yr
estimated ER visits (avg)

Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.

Where this category's danger score sits nationally

Danger score (41/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories

41 Higher than most more dangerous than 79% of 838 product categories

scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2024

Composite verdict

Composite Safety Score: 69/100

One verdict blending 4 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.

D
Dimension Value National percentile Weight applied Source
Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) 20 93rd 35% CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index
Annual ER injury volume 2,345 51st 30% CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries
5-year injury trend -18% 38th 15% CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries
Consumer incident reports 73 78th 20% CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count

Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.

Where 46,898 estimated ER injuries land on the body

Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 1604. Segments sum to 46,898 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.

Two danger lenses

Same-group peer scores and this product's dial

The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Personal Care & Safety Products group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.

Personal Care & Safety Products danger scores

1. Massage Devices Or Vibrat…52/1002. Day Wear48/1003. Coins46/1004. Footwear46/1005. Fuel Multi-purpose Lighte…45/1006. Lighters, Not Specified45/1007. Nightwear45/1008. Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters41/100
Higher score = higher composite danger in this group. Peer set is other scored products sharing the same CPSC group.
0/100100/10041/100
PlainSafety danger score · Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 41/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for cigarette or pipe lighters - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume 2,345 ER visits/yr Above median volume
  • Severity (hospitalization rate) 18.1% Very high admission rate
  • Fatality rate 0.15% Elevated fatality rate
  • 5-year trend-18%

Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Across the 20-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2024, injury counts for cigarette or pipe lighters are declining by about 18% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2011 (3,228 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2009 (1,645 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is burns, thermal to the face, accounting for approximately 11,133 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burns, thermal to the hand (6,400 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 7,751 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 18.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.15%) result in fatality.

Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 73 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how cigarette or pipe lighters 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)

2K2K3K3K4K 20052008201120142017202020232024 2K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters, CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2024

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 1,997 1,356 3,353
5-14 4,204 1,552 5,756
15-24 5,001 2,242 7,243
25-34 4,761 2,990 7,751
35-44 2,809 2,496 5,305
45-54 3,197 2,258 5,455
55-64 3,812 2,237 6,049
65-74 2,240 1,995 4,235
75+ 1,111 633 1,744

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Face Burns, Thermal 11,133
Hand Burns, Thermal 6,400
Finger Burns, Thermal 5,933
Eyeball Contusions, Abr. 1,827
Lower Arm Burns, Thermal 1,694
Upper Trunk Burns, Thermal 1,580
Upper Leg Burns, Thermal 1,183
All Parts Body Poisoning 1,140
Lower Leg Burns, Thermal 1,008
All Parts Body Anoxia 898
Lower Trunk Burns, Thermal 826
Head Burns, Thermal 807
Eyeball Burns, Thermal 741
Finger Other 641
Eyeball Other 501

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 79.8% (37,439)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 10.7% (5,020)
Treated And Transferred 6.8% (3,189)
Left Without Being Seen 1.9% (910)
Held For Observation 0.6% (262)
Fatality Incl. Doa, Died In Er 0.2% (78)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 31 · Female · Finger · Burns, Thermal · 2024

31 YOF POURED RUBBING ALCOHOL ON FINGERS THEN LIT IT WITH A LIGHTER FIRE DEPT DID NOT ATTEND DX THERMAL BURNS TO FINGERS

Age 87 · Male · Not Stated/unk · Other · 2024

87YOM FALLING FORWARD WHEN TRYING TO CHANGE FLINT IN LIGHTER. NO INJURYDX FALL

Age 10 · Male · Hand · Burns, Thermal · 2024

10YOM PLAYING WITH A LIGHTER AND IT EXPLODED AND BURNED PTS HAND. NO FD DX: BURN

Age 23 · Female · Ear · Burns, Thermal · 2024

23YOF WALKED IN STATING THAT SHE WAS PUTTING ON WIG, SPRAYED HAIRSPRAY ON HAIRLINE, THEN USED LIGHTER. PATIENT STATED THAT SHE FORGOT SHE USED HAIRSPRAY, SET FIRE TO HAIRLINE, BEHIND EARS, TOP OF EARS. FIRE DEPARTMENT DID NOT ARRIVE. DX:PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF LEFT EAR; PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF SCALP.

Age 59 · Female · Face · Burns, Thermal · 2024

59YOF WAS LIGHTING A CIGARETTE WITH A CIGARETTE LIGHTER WHEN SHE ACCIDENTALLY LIT HER HAIR ON FIRE WAS ABLE TO PUT IT OUT QUICKLY SUSTAINED A SMALL BURN TO FOREHEAD NOTHING STATED ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DX: FIRST DEGREE THERMAL BURN TO FOREHEAD

Age 64 · Male · Lower Arm · Burns, Thermal · 2024

64YOM REPORTS HE USED RUBBING ALCOHOL ON HIS BODY WHILE IN THE BATH TO HELP WITH HIS ARTHRITIS. HE LIT A CIGARETTE, THE LIGHTER EXPLODED AND HIS ARM AND BODY (LOWER BACK, BUTTOCKS, THIGHS) CAUGHT ON FIRE. HE PUT IT OUT BUT NOTICED BLISTERS AND CAME TO ER TODAY. DX SEVERE BURN, TRANSFER TO BURN UNIT

Age 63 · Male · Upper Trunk · Other · 2024

63YOM PRESESNTS WITH LEFT SIDED CHEST PAIN 1-3 WEEKSAGO. STATES ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO HE FELL WITH A CIGARETTE LIGHTER IN RIGHT HAND AND IN THE PROCESS THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER GOT STUCK IN BETWEEN LEFT CHEST ARE AND THE FLOOR. DX: CHEST PAIN

Age 27 · Male · Finger · Burns, Thermal · 2024

27YOM WAS FILLING UP A SMALL LIKE *** LIGHTER WITH LIGHTER FLUID AND CAUGHT HIS RIGHT 3RD-5TH FINGERS ON FIRE, UNKNOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT INVOLVEMENT. DX: PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF FINGER OF LEFT HAND

Age 28 · Female · Hand · Burns, Thermal · 2024

28YOF WAS ATTEMPTING TO REFILL A LIGHTER, SUSTAINED BURN TO HAND, DX PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF HAND

Age 66 · Male · Face · Burns, Thermal · 2024

66 YOM WAS SMOKING CIGARETTE WITH O2 ON FACE, CAUGHT ON FIRE SINGED NASAL HAIRS, FD UNKNOWN DX NASAL BURNING, PT LEFT AMA

Age 52 · Female · Eyeball · Other · 2024

52YOF PRESENTS WITH EYE IRRITATION AFTER LIGHTING A CIGARETTE AND SINGEING HER HAIR THAT WAS BLOWING INTO HER EYE; PATIENT LEFT WITHOUT TREATMENT DX: EYE PROBLEM

Age 65 · Male · Face · Burns, Thermal · 2024

65 YOM WAS AT HOME WHEN HIS SON LIT A CIGARETTE AROUND HIS OXYGEN CAUSING A FLASH BURN TO FACE, UNKNOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT. DX: SUPERFICIAL PARTIAL THICKNESS FACIAL BURNS

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

9/29/2024 · Incident, No Injury · ELITE BRANDS USA INC · Kentucky

I have recently purchased 2 of these lighters( Liberty lite lighter)and they have literally blown up! They were purchased from Cox's Smoker's in Mt Washington Ky! These lighters are very dangerous! When they blew up shards of plastic went everywhere!

9/18/2011 · Incident, No Injury · BIC USA Inc. · Unspecified

I used a BIC lighter to light some candles, turned off the lighter and set it on the kitchen counter in the upright position. A few minutes later the smoke alarms are going off and I look and there's a 4 inch blob of fire on my counter, the lighter completely burned up and burned a big spot on my counter.

8/9/2022 · Incident, No Injury · The Green Planet Products, Inc. · Florida

Two times the lighter at different times once in my bedroom on my nightstand while I was sleeping blew up caught my nightstand wicker on fire I woke up put it out this time I had a lighter on my coffee table lit a cigarette put the lighter down it caught on fire I put it out the gas leaked out of it and it shot across the room on fire

8/6/2013 · Incident, No Injury · C T SUNCO · North Carolina

lighter was sitting on covered table outside and it blew up into three pieces. One piece when at least 6 feet from the table the other two into the pool. It was not a hot day and the lighter was under an umbrella table. My husband had just lit a cigarette and had walked away.

8/4/2021 · Incident, No Injury · CALICO BRANDS, INC. · New Hampshire

Scripto butane lighter by Calico Brands spontaneously exploded, in an unoccupied room, causing a file on a wood dresser. Damaged dresser and burnt an adjacent leather belt. If no one was home to put out the flames we would have lost our entire home and dogs

8/27/2024 · Incident, No Injury · MK Lighter Company · New Hampshire

I was at [REDACTED] . I left my lighter on the cup holder. When I returned the lighter was in peaces it must have exploded peaces everywhere.

8/27/2013 · Incident, No Injury · ZHUOYE LIGHTER MANUFACTURING CO., LTD · New York

I was outside at break having a cigarette. After lighting the cigarette I place the lighter on the picnic bench that i was sitting on. About 3 minutes after I hear a whoosh sound and see flames next to me. I was in shock when I saw this. Imagine this happening with the lighter in my car! Obviously an unsafe cheap product.

8/26/2016 · Incident, No Injury · DAVIDOFF OF GENEVA USA, INC. · Florida

This caller purchased a St. Dupont lighter usually sold through Davidoff as U.S. representative but caller purchased it from an online dealer around the second week in August 2016. He attempted to contact the manufacturer August 26th,2016 regarding that since he has owned the lighter the flame would continue to burn after he switched it off. He will continue with his attempts to contact the manufacturer. The lighter is working as it was intended to work as a cigar lighter that would burn longer but it should turn off if switch is turned off. He wants to create this report because he states that after he switched the lighter off, he laid it down and it continued with a torch flame as the lighter hit a towel. It burned the towel which the caller was able to extinguish the towel by placing his hand over it. There are no injuries being reported.

Showing 8 of 73 reports.

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to cigarette or pipe lighters on the CPSC website.

Compare beyond Personal Care & Safety Products

Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization

Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters: cross-group products nearest on danger score (41/100), estimated annual ER visits (2,345/yr), and hospitalization share (18.1%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.

Read with this product

About this data

CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.

According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters ranks #137 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #396 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does cigarette or pipe lighters rank on danger score versus ER volume?

Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, cigarette or pipe lighters ranks #137 by PlainSafety danger score (41/100) and #396 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (2,345/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.

What are the most common injuries from cigarette or pipe lighters?

The most common injury is burns, thermal to the face, accounting for approximately 11,133 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from cigarette or pipe lighters increasing or decreasing?

Down 18% over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for cigarette or pipe lighters injuries?

The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 7,751 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by cigarette or pipe lighters?

Of all ER visits involving cigarette or pipe lighters, approximately 18.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (81.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with cigarette or pipe lighters?

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.

Data on Cigarette Or Pipe Lighters is compiled directly from CPSC NEISS and SaferProducts.gov records, current through 2024. See our methodology for details.

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.

PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.