Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Dry Ice ranks #717 of 838 by danger score (28/100) at ER-volume #724 of 838 (155/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #717
- danger rank of 838
- #724
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 28/100
- danger score
- 155/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 (28/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
28 Among the lowest lower than 85% 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: 22/100
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.
| Dimension | Value | National percentile | Weight applied | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) | 3 | 26th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 155 | 11th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | +1% | 67th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 0 | 0th | 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 3,091 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 914. Segments sum to 3,091 - 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 Home Workshop Tools & Equipment 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.
Home Workshop Tools & Equipment danger scores
How this 28/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for dry ice - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 155 ER visits/yr Low volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 3.1% Below median admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend+1%
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 dry ice are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (412 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2016 (9 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is laceration to the hand, accounting for approximately 275 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burn, not spec. to the hand (271 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,209 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 3.1% 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 dry ice 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 Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 0 | 6 | |
| 5-14 | 425 | 147 | |
| 15-24 | 1,078 | 131 | |
| 25-34 | 258 | 232 | |
| 35-44 | 190 | 149 | |
| 45-54 | 0 | 126 | |
| 55-64 | 0 | 219 | |
| 65-74 | 95 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 32 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Hand | Burn, Not Spec. | |
| Hand | Burn, Chemical | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Lower Arm | Burn, Chemical | |
| Mouth | Burn, Chemical | |
| Mouth | Burn, Not Spec. | |
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| Lower Arm | Burns, Thermal | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Face | Burns, Thermal | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Wrist | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
56YOF BIBEMS PT STATES SHE WAS DRIVING WHEN SHE FELT SOB AND HAD A HEADACHE. PT CONCERNED ITS FROM THE DRY ICE IN HER CAR. DX: INHALATION OF DRY ICE
18YOM PT C/O MOUTH PAIN STATES PUT A PIECE OF DRY ICE IN MOUTH A WEEK AGO AND BURNED THE TOP IF MOUTH DX: CHEMICAL BURN OF ORAL MUCOSA
33YOF P/W MVC, PT WAS RESTRAINED DRIVER THAT SLID ON DRY ICE AND HIT LIGHT POLE, C/O HEADACHE AND CHEST PAINS, DX:MVA, CHEST PAIN, HEAD PAIN, ACUTE SINUSITIS
29 YOM REPORTS ACCIDENTAL DRY ICE EXPOSURE TO FINGER THIS EVENING. DX: SUPERFICIAL BURN OF FINGER LEFT HAND.
19YOF STATED SHE BURNED HER RIGHT THIGH WITH DRY ICE ONE MONTH AGO AND THE WOUND HAS NOT HEALED DX: SUPERFICIAL PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF THIGH
52YOF, REPORTS 2 DAYS AGO AT AN EVENT SHE ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED A PIECE OF DRY ICE AND SINCE THEN WITH GENERALIZED ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT DX: SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY
25YOM PRESENTS FOR LIP PAIN AND SWELLING WITH INJURY CONSISTENT WITH SUPERFICIAL BURN AFTER HE TOOK A SHOT OF ALCOHOL THAT HAD DRY ICE IN IT. NO BAL/BAC DONE. DX: LIP SWELLING
16 YOF C/O TONGUE PAIN S/P PUT DRY ICE UNDER HER TONGUE WITH FRIENDS TO CREATE SMOKE EFFECT. DX: TONGUE PAIN; ACCIDENT DUE TO ICE
50 YOF C/O BURN TO INSIDE OF MOUTH S/P WAS MIXING FOOD AND DRY ICE INTO HEALTHY DRINKS AND SWALLOWED A PIECE OF DRY ICE THAT BURNED HER MOUTH AND THROAT AND IS HAVING DIFFICULTY BREATHING. DX: INHALATION BURN; BURN
17 YOM WITH BURN TO RIGHT FOOT AFTER ACCIDENTALLY STEPPING ON DRY ICE LAST NIGHT. HE INITALLY STUBBED HIS TOE PLAYING WITH SIBLINGS AND USED A BUCKET TO SOAK HIS FOOT. NOT REALIZING THAT HE USED THAT SAME BUCKET DOING A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT USING DRY ICE. DX BURN RIGHT FOOT, PAIN FOOT
15YOM ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED DRY ICE AT PARTY, C/O OF THROAT PAIN, DX INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
13YOF DRINKING A DRINK WITH DRY ICE IN IT AND BURNT MOUTH DX: BURN OF MOUTH
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to dry ice on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Home Workshop Tools & Equipment
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Dry Ice: cross-group products nearest on danger score (28/100), estimated annual ER visits (155/yr), and hospitalization share (3.1%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.
Similar danger score
Nearest cross-group products by PlainSafety danger score (100-point scale).
Similar ER visit volume
Nearest cross-group products by NEISS estimated annual ER visits.
Similar hospitalization rate
Nearest cross-group products by % of NEISS ER visits resulting in hospital admission.
- Swimming (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) Sports Protective Equipment & Gear 3.1%admitted
- Power Workshop Grinders, Buffers Or Polishers Home Communication & Entertainment 3.1%admitted
- Ice Skating (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) Sports Protective Equipment & Gear 3.1%admitted
- Other Specified Plastic Products Containers & Packaging 3.1%admitted
Related Products in Home Workshop Tools & Equipment
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, Dry Ice ranks #717 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #724 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does dry ice rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, dry ice ranks #717 by PlainSafety danger score (28/100) and #724 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (155/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from dry ice?
The most common injury is laceration to the hand, accounting for approximately 275 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from dry ice increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for dry ice injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,209 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by dry ice?
Of all ER visits involving dry ice, approximately 3.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with dry ice?
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.
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.