Lunch Boxes Or Pails
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 Medical & Assistance Devices · CPSC Code 1719
Down 20% over 5 years
The verdict
Lunch Boxes Or Pails carry a danger score of 28/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 490 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 20% over the last five years.
- 28/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 490
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 0.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1719 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 28/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for lunch boxes or pails - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume490 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)0.7%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-20%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Lunch Boxes Or Pails (CPSC product code 1719, in the Home Medical & Assistance Devices category) generate an estimated 490 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 9,804 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 28/100 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 20% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (1,054 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (207 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for lunch boxes or pails is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 782 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (690 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 4,453 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 0.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
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 lunch boxes or pails 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 | 719 | 263 | |
| 5-14 | 2,419 | 2,034 | |
| 15-24 | 474 | 142 | |
| 25-34 | 489 | 254 | |
| 35-44 | 789 | 283 | |
| 45-54 | 623 | 269 | |
| 55-64 | 364 | 324 | |
| 65-74 | 123 | 104 | |
| 75+ | 130 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Hand | Other | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
15 YOM HIT FACE WITH LUNCH BOX AND CUT IT DX:LAC
5YOM PRESENTS FOR EVALUATION OF LEFT MIDDLE FINGER REDNESS AND PAIN. MOM VERBALIZED PATIENT LACERATED THE AFFECTED FINGER OVER 2 WEEKS AGO AFTER TRYING TO OPEN A LUNCH CAN. MOM HAS NOTICED PERSISTENT REDNESS, PAIN AND SWELLING. DX: CELLULITIS FINGER LEFT
32YOM COMES TO THE ER WITH PARANOIA. HE BELIEVES HE WOULD HAVE SWALLOWED OR NEEDLE OR BEEN POKED WITH ONE. HE STATES HE WAS WITH A FRIEND AND THEY NOTICED A SYRINGE HAD A NEEDLE MISSING. HE WAS MAKING DINNER AT THE TIME HE NOTICED IT WAS MISSING. HE DENIES RECENT DRUG INJECTION. HE DOES USE METHAPHETAMINES. DX: ENCOUNTER FOR OBSERVATION FOR SUSPECTED INGESTION FOREIGN BODY RULED OUT
7YOF WITH LAC. TO THE RIGHT LOWER LEG, PT. WAS STANDING ON A PLASTIC LUNCH BOX, SHE FELL AND HIT HER LOWER LEG ON THE BOX AND CUT IT.DX: SINGLE SUPERFICIAL LAC. RIGHT LOWER LEG.
53 YOF FELL LANDED ON A LUNCH BOX HIT RIB AND HEAD DX: HEAD INJURY RIB CONTUSION
12YOM HE WAS AT SCHOOL WHEN HE GOT HIT WITH A PLASTIC LUNCH BOX IN THE FACE DX: LEFT FACIAL SWELLING, PAIN OF LEFT ORBIT, PAIN OF CHEEK
56YOF PRESENTS TO THE ED AFTER SHE TRIPPED GETTING OFF THE BUS ON HER WAY TO WORK. PATIENT BROKE HER FALL WITH HER LUNCHBOX, DENIES HEAD STRIKE, BUT STATES SHE TWISTED HER ANKLE IN THE PROCESS. PT HAS ANKLE SWELLING DX: CLOSED FX OF BASE OF 5TH METATARSAL BONE OF LEFT FOOT
9YOF WHO PRESENTS TO THE ER WITH A COMPLAINT OF FOREHEAD LACERATION. PT STATES THAT SHE WAS IN THE SCHOOL BUS MESSING AROUND WITH SOME FRIENDS WHEN SHE GOT HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A LUNCH BOX DX: LAC OF FOREHEAD
12YOF, WAS AT CAMP WHEN SHE DROPPED HER LUNCH BOX ON HER FINGER, DX: CLOSED DISPLACED FRACTURE OF MIDDLE PHALANX OF RIGHT INDEX FINGER
11 YOM WAS HIT IN THE FACE WITH A LUNCH BOX WHILE AT SCHOOL. DX: CONCUSSION
11YOM WAS ASSAULTED BY ANOTHER STUDENT AT SCHOOL, WHO HIT HIM ACROSS THE FACE WITH A LUNCH BOX DX: LACERATION TO FOREHEAD, CLOSED HEAD INJURY
59YOM PRESENTS WITH BACK PAIN THAT BEGAN ON MONDAY AFTER BENDING OVER TO REACH FOR HIS LUNCH BOX. DX: LOW BACK PAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
My infant son's lead blood levels came back elevated, and his lunch box tested positive for lead. His lunch box was used for transporting his food to and from school. My son's blood levels were elevated from ingesting lead or lead contaminated food.
We purchased the Simple Modern Pixar Bento Lunch Box for Kids for our 3.5 year old and our 22 month old sons in December 2024. My son took it to preschool for the first time at the end of December 2024 and when he came home, the white plastic cap in the hinge was missing, as was the metal piece inside the hinge. Upon opening his lunch box, the small metal piece (a rod about an inch long) was sitting inside of the bento box. We had a replacement, in the same color and style, and began to use that one instead. Today, January 15, 2025, the white piece popped out of his new lunch box hinge and the metal rod fell out shortly after. We were at home, so we witnessed it happen. The lunchbox was always hand washed and only used a total of 12 times. It was never microwaved or put in the dishwasher. There was no known drops or trauma to the lunch box to dislodge the product. While there were no injuries, the piece is small enough that if either of our young children discovered the metal piece in their lunch, and ate it, it could crack a tooth or be swallowed.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to lunch boxes or pails on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are lunch boxes or pails?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, lunch boxes or pails have a danger score of 28/100 (low risk). An estimated 490 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from lunch boxes or pails?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 782 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from lunch boxes or pails increasing or decreasing?
Down 20% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for lunch boxes or pails injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 4,453 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by lunch boxes or pails?
Of all ER visits involving lunch boxes or pails, approximately 0.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (99.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with lunch boxes or pails?
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 Medical & Assistance Devices
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 28/100 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 5-14 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.
