Methyl Alcohol (solvent)
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 915
Up 73% over 5 years
The verdict
Methyl Alcohol (solvent) carry a danger score of 45/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 212 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 73% over the last five years.
- 45/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 212
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 25.0%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 915 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 45/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for methyl alcohol (solvent) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume212 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)25.0%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+73%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Methyl Alcohol (solvent) (CPSC product code 915, in the Home Workshop Tools & Equipment category) generate an estimated 212 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 4,238 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 45/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 73% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (665 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2016 (19 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for methyl alcohol (solvent) is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 1,961 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burns, thermal to the hand (268 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 746 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 25.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 1 consumer incident report filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how methyl alcohol (solvent) 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 | 306 | 267 | |
| 5-14 | 245 | 119 | |
| 15-24 | 656 | 90 | |
| 25-34 | 292 | 354 | |
| 35-44 | 318 | 320 | |
| 45-54 | 255 | 225 | |
| 55-64 | 245 | 66 | |
| 65-74 | 330 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 86 | 72 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Lower Leg | Burns, Thermal | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Face | Burns, Thermal | |
| Foot | Burn, Chemical | |
| Pubic Region | Other | |
| Eyeball | Burn, Chemical | |
| Lower Leg | Burn, Chemical | |
| Lower Trunk | Burns, Thermal | |
| Lower Leg | Derma/conjunct | |
| Hand | Burn, Scald | |
| Lower Arm | Burns, Thermal |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
68 YOM SORE IN THE GENITAL REGION AFTER APPLYING A HAIR PRODUCT AND RUBBING ALCOHOL TO THE AREA 2 DAYS AGO. DX: PERINEAL ABSCESS
41YOF, SUICIDAL IDEATION METHYL ALCOHOL 257 DX SUICIDAL IDEATION
33YOF PRESENTS AFTER BURN INJURY, PT STATES SHE WAS SANITIZING THE INSIDE OF A BOX THAT IS USED TO GROW MUSHROOMS W/ ALCOHOL SPRAY, LIT A FLAME INSIDE THE BOX WHICH CAUSED AN EXPLOSION, PT SUSTAINED INJURIS TO FOREARMS, ABDOMEN, UPPER THIGH, FIRE DEPARTMENT UNKNOWN, DX:BURN, FIRE ACCIDENT
8 YOM WITH BURN TO HIS HAND SUSTAINED JPTA. STATES HIS SISTER HAD SEEN A *** VIDEO AND TRIED TO REPLICATE IT. SHE DOUSED HIM WITH ALCOHOL AND THEN SET HIS HAND ON FIRE. UNK FIRE DEPARTMENT STATUS. DX PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN BACK OF LEFT HAND, BURN PALM OF HAND
24 YOM. HEADACHE, NAUSEA & VOMITING AFTER DRINKING ISOPROPANOL ALCOHOL TO GET DRUNK. DX: ACCDIDENTAL POISONING BY ISOPROPANOL
26YOM WAS CLEANING WITH ALCOHOL AND SMOKING A CIGARETTE AND THE ALCOHOL CAUGHT FIRE BURNING PATIENT. FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT AT THE SCENE. DX 13-15 % TBSA TO BILATERAL HANDS, THIGHS
35YOF PRESENTS WITH BURN TO HANDS AND LEGS AFTER SOMEONE POUTED ALCOHOL CONTAINING FLUID INTO A FIRE AND HER DRESS CAUGHT FIRE WHILE SITTING IN A CHAIR. DX: BURN TO UPPER LEGS AND HANDS
20MOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE WAS FOUND HOLDING A CAN CONTAINING WATER, DISH SOAP, AND ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL. DX: INGESTION OF TOXIC SUBSTANCE
13MOM PRESENTS WITH INGESTION OF FOREIGN SUBSTANCE. PER MOTHER 15 MINS BEFORE ARRIVAL TO ED PT WAS SEEN SITTING NEXT TO A CAN OF *** METHANOL FUEL WITH RED GEL SMEARED ON HIS HANDS AND FACE THAT HE REMOVED FROM THE RECYLING BIN. MOTHER IS UNSURE OF HOW MUCH PT MAY HAVE INGESTED. PT SHOWS NO SIGNS OF SYMPTOMS. DX: TOXIC EFFECT OF METHANOL. METHANOL POISONING
34YOF, WAS NOT ABLE TO BY ALCOHOL AND INSTEAD INGESTED A PHARMACY SIZE BOTTLE OF 70% ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL DENIES ANY INTENTION TO HARM SELF, BAC NOT DETECTED, DX: HYPOKALEMIA; ALCOHOLIC KETOACIDOSIS
36YOM FOR MILD HEADACHE AND SLIGHT DIZZYNESS AFTER HE INHALED ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL. DX: ACCIDENTAL EXPOSURE TO ALCOHOL
53YOM PRESENTS AFTER HE HAD BEEN BINGE DRINKING FOR 10 DAYS AND TODAY DRANK A BOTTLE OF ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL 70%. BAL IS <10. DX: COFFEE GROUND EMESIS, ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL POISONING
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The gas station near me uses methanol in the window cleaner buckets by the gas pumps. The customers use this product with no warnings or identifiers. The hazards of the product are listed here : https://starfire.com/downloads/Wiper%20Fluid%20-20_SDS.pdf. But customers are not aware of these dangers. I only became aware by having a conversation with an ex employee.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to methyl alcohol (solvent) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are methyl alcohol (solvent)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, methyl alcohol (solvent) have a danger score of 45/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 212 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from methyl alcohol (solvent)?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 1,961 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from methyl alcohol (solvent) increasing or decreasing?
Up 73% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for methyl alcohol (solvent) injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 746 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by methyl alcohol (solvent)?
Of all ER visits involving methyl alcohol (solvent), approximately 25.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (75.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with methyl alcohol (solvent)?
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 45/100 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 15-24 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.
