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CPSC NEISS Data 2005–2024

Molding Compounds

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.

Toys & Children's Recreation · CPSC Code 1376

Stable over 5 years

The verdict

Molding Compounds carry a danger score of 34/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 2,370 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.

34/100
danger score (low risk)
2,370
ER visits per year (avg)
1.4%
end in hospital admission
0-4
most-injured age group

Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1376 - last data year 2024.

PlainSafety danger score

0/100100/10034/100
PlainSafety danger score

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 34/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for molding compounds - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume2,370 ER visits/yr
  • Severity (hospitalization rate)1.4%
  • Fatality rate0.02%
  • 5-year trend+5%

See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Molding Compounds (CPSC product code 1376, in the Toys & Children's Recreation category) generate an estimated 2,370 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 47,403 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 34/100 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 roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (4,532 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2007 (943 estimated visits).

The single most common ER diagnosis for molding compounds is foreign body to the ear, accounting for approximately 21,400 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by foreign body to the face (12,775 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 30,055 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.4% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.02%) result in fatality.

Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 19 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how molding compounds 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.

2,370
Injuries / Year
1.4%
Hospitalization Rate
0.02%
Fatality Rate

Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)

01K2K3K4K5K 20052008201120142017202020232024 5K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Molding Compounds, CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 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 14,846 15,209 30,055
5-14 7,701 7,528 15,229
15-24 303 157 460
25-34 90 207 297
35-44 257 303 560
45-54 260 146 406
55-64 0 193 193
65-74 64 15 79
75+ 123 0 123

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Ear Foreign Body 21,400
Face Foreign Body 12,775
Internal Ingestion 1,887
All Parts Body Poisoning 1,735
Internal Aspiration 1,512
Hand Derma/conjunct 911
Finger Laceration 639
Face Derma/conjunct 552
Eyeball Contusions, Abr. 551
Eyeball Foreign Body 471
Eyeball Derma/conjunct 253
Eyeball Other 240
Face Laceration 199
Head Internal Injury 199
Head Laceration 197

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 96.1% (45,585)
Left Without Being Seen 2.4% (1,140)
Treated And Transferred 1.1% (499)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 0.4% (188)
Held For Observation 0.0% (11)
Fatality Incl. Doa, Died In Er 0.0% (6)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 9 · Female · Ear · Foreign Body · 2024

9YOF PUT *** IN EARS. DX: FB EAR

Age 6 · Female · Ear · Foreign Body · 2024

6YOF P/W FOREIGN BODY IN EAR, PT STATES HER COUSIN PUT *** IN HER EAR, C/O DISCOMFORT, DX:FOREIGN BODY IN EAR

Age 34 · Male · All Parts Body · Poisoning · 2024

34YOM TO ED WITH C/O OF MOUTH FELLING FUNNY AND DRY, PT STATES ACCIDENTALLY TASTED HOME MADE *** MADE WITH GLUE AS ONE OF THE INGREDIENTS, DX DRYNESS OF MOUTH, (PT DID NOT INGEST SUBSTANCE)

Age 9 · Female · Face · Derma/conjunct · 2024

9YOF HAD BEEN PLAYING WITH TOY ***, DEVELOPED RASH TO FACE, DX IRRITANT CONTACT DERMATITIS

Age 3 · Female · Face · Foreign Body · 2024

3YOF, C/O FOREIGN BODY TO NOSE, PT SHOVED *** IN RIGHT NOSTRIL, DX:FOREIGN BODY RIGHT NARE

Age 4 · Female · Ear · Foreign Body · 2024

4 YOF PUT A PIECE OF *** IN HER RIGHT EAR, UNABLE TO REMOVE, DX: FOREIGN BODY EAR

Age 2 · Male · Ear · Foreign Body · 2024

2YOM PRESENTS TO THE ED AFTER THE PATIENT WAS AT DAYCARE AND STUCK *** IN BOTH OF HIS EARS. DX: EAR PROBLEM

Age 7 · Female · Eyeball · Foreign Body · 2024

7YOF WITH SWOLLEN EUE AFTER PT PUT *** IN EYE AND MOTHER CLEANED OUT HER EYE DX: FB IN LEFT EYE

Age 2 · Female · Face · Other · 2024

2YOF, MOM STATES PATIENT WAS PLAYING WITH *** AND WITH HER SISTER THEN NOTICED THAT THE LOWER EYELID APPEARED SWOLLEN, ATTEMPTED TO GIVE HER A BATH TO WASH THE EYE OUT YET THE SWELLING PERSISTED DX: E

Age 3 · Female · Internal · Ingestion · 2024

3YOF MAY HAVE BEEN EATING *** AND DEVELOPED ABDOMINAL PAIN WITH FEVER DX: FEVER, CONSTIPATION

Age 8 · Female · Eyeball · Other · 2024

8YOF GOT SOME *** IN LEFT EYE CAUSING BURNING DX: IRRITATION TO LEFT EYE

Age 3 · Female · Face · Foreign Body · 2024

3YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE PUT A PIECE OF *** INTO HER RIGHT NOSTRIL. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN NOSE

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

7/5/2017 · Incident, No Injury · JA-RU INC · New York

On Thursday, 6/29/17 Flarp- Noise Putty (Pink) was purchased at a Five Below Store in Saratoga Springs, NY. My 6yr old daughter accidentally got some of it in her long hair and did not inform me. Approximately 1hr later it had dried and created a large snarly mess. I proceeded to rinse the product with cold water to start because it says DO NOT HEAT on the label and that did nothing but make it more sticky. I then shampooed her hair and while rinsing, I became immensely concerned when her hair literally fell off into the tub. THIS PRODUCT ATE THROUGH MY DAUGHTERS HAIR!!!! I did not attempt to brush it at all during this process so there was no reason other the product for her hair to broken off like that! This is extremely infuriating considering children are playing with this product- IT IS OBVIOUSLY TOXIC!

7/31/2012 · Incident, No Injury · American Art Clay Co., Inc. · Unspecified

Hello, Thank you for your email. Shopatron only processes the online orders for many manufacturers. You would need to contact the manufacturer directly with your inquiry. There should be alternate contact information under the "Contact Us" page on the website. We apologize for the inconvenience. Regards, Shopatron Global Service Team http://www.orderhlp.com > moldy clay > ---------- > > Key: [REDACTED] > URL: https://jira.shopatron.com/browse/[REDACTED] > Project: Consumer Support > Issue Type: New Ticket > Reporter: [REDACTED] > Assignee: [REDACTED] > > Hello, I purchased 10 lbs. of terra cotta air dry clay from A C Moore in Warminster, Pa. on 7/20/2012. When I opened the box and bag(no twist tie on bag) on 7/23/2012I found mold on all four sides. I went to exchange it for a different box. Upon checking this box it also had mold it was the only one remaining. I was given a refund. I then went to A C Moore in Willow Grove, Pa. which had two boxes both of which were moldy. On 7/24/2012 iwent to Michael's in warrington, Pa., purchased another 10 lb. box of red air dry clay figuring different color and different store maybey different lot and no mold, I was very suprised to go home and open this box to also find mold. After many miles and so much time I decided to cut an inch or more to try to remove the mold wasting half the box of clay. Still some black spots in clay, not sure if its mold or not.I have made bricks(2000) and tile for floors (1000) for my 2 year old grand daughter and I would like to know if this clay is safe to use in a young childs doll house. Will this mold die once dried or will it come alive again when exposed to high humidity. P.S. Any information on this would be greatly appreciated.NONE OF THE BAGS HAD TWIST TIES OR SEALS OF ANY KIND. Thanks, [REDACTED]

6/25/2024 · Injury, Seen by Medical Professional · Newell Rubbermaid Inc. · North Carolina

On July 9, 2023 I purchased Elmer's Magical Liquid Slime Activator (Elmer's Magical Liquid 2.0) for my daughter to make slime with. Shortly after receipt of the product, my daughter started using it and, subsequently, her fingers broke out all over in small blisters which led to peeling and bleeding. I checked the safety data sheet for this product (SDS product code 2095928, date of issue of the SDS is 12/9/2020 (version 5)) and found out that this material is considered hazardous by the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) for skin sensitization (category 1) and toxic to reproduction (category 1). The product is marketed as safe and non toxic however the safety information states otherwise.

4/6/2023 · No Incident, No Injury · Kawaii Slime Company · Pennsylvania

My daughter received Kawaii Slime as a birthday gift. The packaging did not contain any warning labels for small parts, no batch number and no label or indication that it was safe or met the safety standards. When I went to the store where it was purchased, I was even more shocked to see "slime sprinkles" that looked like actual food sprinkles on the same rack which did not have any labeling not to eat it or whether it was non-toxic. This was very concerning as all of their products look like food and without the proper labeling (and testing) these products could contain unsafe levels of chemicals and could actually be consumed.

3/13/2021 · Injury, Seen by Medical Professional · LAROSE INDUSTRIES LLC · Maryland

Bought Cra-z-art Nickelodeon Slime Party Pack at Five Below in Westminster, Md. the slime stuck to my sons skin and would not come off. It burned his skin and he had to be taken to urgent care for treatment.

3/10/2025 · Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional · LAROSE INDUSTRIES LLC · United States

my kid developed what looked like dyshidrotic eczema on fingers and lower arm after playing with Cra-Z-Art Cra-Z-Slimy Sparkle Fairy Slime, Purple for around 2 hours. The parts of her arms where the eczema bubbles appeared are the ones where the put the slime longer.

2/9/2021 · Injury, Level of care not known · ANKER PLAY PRODUCTS, LLC · Delaware

My six year old son played with an Anker Art product called Scenty's Slime Diner. This slime kit contained a "chili scented" slime which my son played with. He used the bathroom after playing with it, and rubbed his eyes as well after washing his hands. He experience an extreme burning sensation in both his pubic region and his eyes, that left him crying and writhing in pain for approximately two hours. At first I thought he was overracting, so I touched the slime breifly and touched my eye to make sure. My eye also burned for approximately two hours, as if I had touched it after cutting up habaneros. Tis product does not state that any food extracts are used, it also does not mention any food related hazards. It is apparent that this company uses food extracts in their "art" products. Some of the other slime "scents" include nut products, such as peanut butter. While this does not affect my children, this is concerning for others that may have deadly allergies.

2/4/2015 · Death · HASBRO INC. · Ohio

6 year old female ingested Play-Doh between 01/31/2015-02/01/2015. She would not wake up on the morning of 02/01/2015. Medics were called and she taken to the hospital.

Showing 8 of 19 reports.

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to molding compounds on the CPSC website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How dangerous are molding compounds?

Based on 20 years of CPSC data, molding compounds have a danger score of 34/100 (low risk). An estimated 2,370 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.

What are the most common injuries from molding compounds?

The most common injury is foreign body to the ear, accounting for approximately 21,400 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from molding compounds increasing or decreasing?

Stable over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for molding compounds injuries?

The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 30,055 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by molding compounds?

Of all ER visits involving molding compounds, approximately 1.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with molding compounds?

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.

Safety Guides

What this means for you

Treat the 34/100 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.