Kerosene
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 963
Down 41% over 5 years
The verdict
Kerosene carry a danger score of 35/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 551 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 41% over the last five years.
- 35/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 551
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 18.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 963 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 35/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for kerosene - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume551 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)18.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-41%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Kerosene (CPSC product code 963, in the Home Workshop Tools & Equipment category) generate an estimated 551 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 11,021 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 35/100 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 41% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2011 (794 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2023 (240 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for kerosene is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 4,007 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burns, thermal to the face (1,803 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 2,805 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 18.6% 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 kerosene 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 | 1,528 | 1,277 | |
| 5-14 | 238 | 257 | |
| 15-24 | 965 | 295 | |
| 25-34 | 1,299 | 409 | |
| 35-44 | 1,230 | 519 | |
| 45-54 | 655 | 398 | |
| 55-64 | 576 | 394 | |
| 65-74 | 268 | 206 | |
| 75+ | 476 | 32 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Face | Burns, Thermal | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Lower Arm | Burns, Thermal | |
| Lower Leg | Burns, Thermal | |
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| Hand | Burn, Chemical | |
| Upper Trunk | Burn, Chemical | |
| Upper Leg | Burn, Chemical | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Leg | Burn, Chemical | |
| Lower Leg | Derma/conjunct | |
| Upper Trunk | Burns, Thermal | |
| All Parts Body | Burns, Thermal | |
| Lower Trunk | Burn, Chemical |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
49 YOM HURT BACK CARRIED KEROSENE FILLED KEROSENE HEATER DX LUMBAR STRAIN
77 YOM C/O HAND BURN AND FACIAL BURN S/P TRHEW A SMOLDERING CIGAR INTO A BURNING PILE WITH KEROSENE PUT ONTO IT AND A FLAME CAME UP AND BURNED PATIENT. IT IS NOT STATED IF FIRE DEPARTMENT ATTENDED. PATIENT LEFT AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE. DX: HAND BURN; FACIAL BURN
46YOM PT DRANK OUT OF AN UNLABELED BOTTLE THINKING IT WAS WATER; ENDED UP TO BE KEROSENE DX: INGESTION OF FOREIGN SUBSTANCE
44YOF PT DRANK WHAT SHE THOUGHT WAS WATER FROM AN UNLABELLED BOTTLE; ENDED UP BEING KEROSENE, PT IMMEDIATELY VOMITED DX: INGESTION OF FOREIGN SUBSTANCE
44YOF WAS POURING KEROSENE INTO SMALLER CONTAINERS LAST NIGHT USING IT TO LIGHT A FIRE, NOTICED HER LEGS FELT LIKE THEY WERE BURNING DX: BILATERAL LOWER LEGS CHEMICAL BURNS
22YOM-PATIENT STATES THAT HE WAS TRYING TO START A FIRE AND USED KEROSENE TO START IT AND IT CAME BACK AND GOT HIS HAND. DX: FIRST DEGREE BURN RIGHT HAND
60 YOM WAS COOKING DOWN FENTANYL WITH A KEROSENE TORCH WHEN IT EXPLODED AND CAUGHT PATIENTS CLOTHING ON FIRE. +BURNS CHEST, LEFT SHOULDER, NECK, FACE, LEFT EAR, HEAD. +FD. DX: BURN INVOLVING 10-19% OF BODY SURFACE
13 YOF ACCIDENTALLY DRANK KEROSENE THAT WAS IN A WATER BOTTLEDX: ACCIDENTAL POISONING BY KEROSENE
41 YOM WAS SITTING AROUND A KEROSENE FIRE WHEN HE WENT TO ADD KEROSENE AND THE FLAMES WENT UP AND BURNED HIM. +BURNS BILATERAL FOREARMS. FD NSDX: BURN
20YOF, PACKING FOR CAMPING TRIP, HAD A LANTERN ON BED WHICH LEAKED KEROSENE&DIDN'T REALIZE UNTL WENT TO BED, NO WITH UPPER BACK DX: CHEMICAL BURN
3YOF was found w/ brother sitting w/ a loosely closed bottle of *** #9 Gun Cleaner product this morning that had been stored in a large drawer. Pt had the product on her hands, possibly some around mouth. None spilled, maybe 1oz less. Pt endorses herself that she drank some from the bottle. Main ingredient in product is kerosene (hydrocarbon) and isopropyl. DX: Ingestion of substance
15MOM was found w/ 3YO sister sitting w/ a losely capped bottle of *** Gun Cleaner product this morning, was stored in a large drawer. Pt had the product on hands, possibly some around mouth. None spilled, maybe 1oz less in bottle. Main ingredient in product is kerosene (hydrocarbon) + isopropyl in it. DX: Accidental ingestion of gun cleaning product
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to kerosene on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are kerosene?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, kerosene have a danger score of 35/100 (low risk). An estimated 551 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from kerosene?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 4,007 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from kerosene increasing or decreasing?
Down 41% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for kerosene injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 2,805 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by kerosene?
Of all ER visits involving kerosene, approximately 18.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (81.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with kerosene?
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 35/100 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.
