Liquid Drugs
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.
Transportation & Substances · CPSC Code 1927
Down 11% over 5 years
The verdict
Liquid Drugs carry a danger score of 38/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 5,421 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 11% over the last five years.
- 38/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 5,421
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1927 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 38/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for liquid drugs - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume5,421 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.8%
- Fatality rate0.10%
- 5-year trend-11%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Liquid Drugs (CPSC product code 1927, in the Transportation & Substances category) generate an estimated 5,421 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 108,423 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 11% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2006 (16,843 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (1,865 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for liquid drugs is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 106,940 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burn, chemical to the eyeball (674 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 108,422 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 6.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.10%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how liquid drugs 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 | 59,674 | 48,733 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Eyeball | Burn, Chemical | |
| Finger | Puncture | |
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Mouth | Dental Injury | |
| Upper Leg | Puncture | |
| Ear | Other | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Mouth | Burn, Chemical | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| All Parts Body | Derma/conjunct | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Upper Leg | Burn, Chemical | |
| Lower Trunk | Burn, Chemical | |
| Face | Derma/conjunct |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
11MOF ARRIVES WITH POSSIBLE TOXIC EXPOSURE. PATIENT WAS AT THE PARK WHEN HER MOTHER DISCOVERED SHE HAD PUT A SYRINGE OF HEPARIN FLUSH IN HER MOUTH. POISION CONTROL NOTIFIED. DX: NORMAL EXAM.
2 YOF INGESTED BROTHERS CLONIDINE UNKNOWN AMOUNT DX CLONIDINE OD
3 YOF DRANK ABOUT HALF OF A BOTTLE OF (60 ML) OF OVER THE COUNTER VITAMIN C SUPPLEMENT. DX ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE
3 YOM DRANK 200ML OF APETAMIN. THIS WAS SOMEONE ELSES MEDICATION. PT IS TREMORING, GAZING OFF AND IRRITABLE. DX OVERDOSE
2YOM TO ER W/ MOM & DAD, PT DRANK FATHER PREWORKOUT SUPLEMENT W/ 3MG CAFFEINE, PT FOUND W/ EMPTY CUPW/ SOME LIQUID ON SLEEVE OF SHIRT DX INGESTION OF NONTOXIC SUBSTANCE, ACCIDENTAL INGESTION
20MOM WITH INGESTION OF EYE DROPS, PARENTS LET HIM PLAY WITH BOTTLE OF EYE DROPS DX: MEDICATION OVERDOSE
38DOF PRESENTS WITH INGESTION OF FORGEIN SUBSTANCE, AS PER PARENTS PATIENTS OLDER SISTER POURED VITAMIN D DROPS INTO PATIENTS MOUTH, AMOUNT UNKOWN. PARENTS CALLED POISON CONTROL WHOM TOLDTHEM TO GO TO THE ED. DX: INGESTION OF NONTOXIC SUBSTANCE.
3YOM MOM WAS PACKING HIS THINGS FOR A TRIP WHEN SHE HAD HIS *** LAYING OUT ON THE TABLE, HE GRABBED IT AND STUCK HIMSELF IN THE RIGHT THIGH WITH IT, HEART RATE: 124 DX: ACCIDENTAL INJECTION OF EPINEPHRINE
12MOF PRESENTS AFTER MOM STEPPED AWAY FROM PT AND CAME BACK TO LIVING TO SEE PT DRINKING GRANDFATHER'S ENEMA BOTTLE. UNKNOWN VOLUME INGESTION SINCE BOTTLE WAS HALF EMPTY WITH SOME SPILLED ON FLOOR. AFTERWARDS, PT HAD VOMITING AND DIARRHEA. DX: ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
3YOM INGESTED UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF DEXTROMETHORPHAN POISTETIREX ER COUGH SYRUP THAT WAS LEFT OUT ON THE COUNTER, C/O ALTERED BEHAVIOR, INCREASED THIRST, ABNORMAL GAIT, DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION.
2YOM INGESTED SOME AMOXICILLIN FROM SIBLINGS RX UNSURE HOW MUCH DX INGESTION OF TOXIN
2YOF DRANK 20ML OF *** COLD MEDICINE. DX INGESTION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
6 month old boy admitted to the hospital after his 3 y/o sister fed him a bottle of Visine (tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride). Child required medications to increase heart rate, and child was intubated. Child hospitalized overnight in the intensive care unit.
On 6/9/2015 a 12 month old female ingested a small volume of "Be Natural Callus Eliminator" manufactured by ProLinc in the family home and developed a distal esophageal caustic stricture that has required 4 endoscopic stricture dilations. The active ingredient in the product is Potassium Hydroxide with a concentration of less than 20% and pH of 13-14 per the MSD sheet (according to poison control office). The family reports that the over the counter product was on a living room coffee table with the cap on. The cap is a twist non-safety cap. The child climbed onto the couch to get it and the child was biting the cap when it came off. The amount of possible ingestion was unclear but estimated to be less than 1 teaspoon. The child became fussy. The family called the Northern New England Poison Control Center 207-662-4720 and was told to be seen at a local emergency department. The child initially calmed down and fell asleep at home but awoke crying. The child was seen in the early morning on 6/10/15 at the Central Maine Medical Center ED. There were no visible oral burns and the child was discharged, able to take PO. The patient developed progressive solid food dysphagia over the course of approximately the next 10 days. The child had an Upper GI Contrast study performed locally on 6/22/15 in Maine which demonstrated a distal esophageal stricture. The child developed progressive dysphagia and on 7/6/15 she presented to the Boston Children's Hospital ED with inability to tolerate purees and even inability to tolerate liquids ingested quickly with vomiting. She was admitted. I performed an upper endoscopy on 7/7/2015 which demonstrated a tight distal esophageal stricture with inner diameter of 2mm. The stricture was located 5mm proximal to the gastroesophageal junction as was consistent with a caustic stricture. Proximal retained esophageal food impaction was removed and the stricture was dilated to 8mm. She was discharged on 7/7/2015. I have since perform
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to liquid drugs on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are liquid drugs?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, liquid drugs have a danger score of 38/100 (low risk). An estimated 5,421 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from liquid drugs?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 106,940 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from liquid drugs increasing or decreasing?
Down 11% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for liquid drugs injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 108,422 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by liquid drugs?
Of all ER visits involving liquid drugs, approximately 6.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with liquid drugs?
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 Transportation & Substances
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 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.
