Preparations Containing Iron Salts
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 1916
Up 14% over 5 years
The verdict
Preparations Containing Iron Salts carry a danger score of 37/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 763 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 14% over the last five years.
- 37/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 763
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 11.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1916 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 37/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for preparations containing iron salts - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume763 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)11.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+14%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Preparations Containing Iron Salts (CPSC product code 1916, in the Transportation & Substances category) generate an estimated 763 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 15,252 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 37/100 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 rising by about 14% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2005 (1,065 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (453 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for preparations containing iron salts is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 15,212 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by ingestion to the internal (28 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 15,252 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 11.6% 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 preparations containing iron salts 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 | 8,240 | 7,012 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Eyeball | Burn, Chemical |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
12MOM,IRON INGESTION ACCIDENTALLY,42MG,2.5ML,VOMITED AFTER,DX:OD
3YOM PRESENTS WITH INGESTION OF FOREIGN SUBSTANCE. PER PATIENT MOTHER THE PATIENT INGESTED A HALF A BOTTLE OF *** VITAMINS. MOTHER TRIED TO MAKE THE PATIENT THROW UP 1 CUP OF VITAMIN COLORED FLUID. MOTHER CALLED POISON CONTROL AT HOME WHO TOLD HER TO COME TO THE ED. DX: VITAMIN OVERDOSE, EXCESSIVE INTAKE OF IRON
22MOM PRESENTS AFTER HE WAS AT HOME WHEN HIS GRANDMOTHER SPILLED HER IRON TABLETS AND HE INGESTED TABLETS. DX: INGESTION OF FOREIGN SUBSTANCE
18MOM MOM FOUND WITH IRON PILLS (65MG) IN MOUTH 85 OUT OF 100 PILLS LEFT IN BOTTLE DX:INGESTION OF UNKNOWN DRUG
18 MOM PRESENTS WITH POSSIBLE INGESTION OF MULTIPLE PILLS THAT PATIENT TOOK OUT OF GRANDMOTHER'S PILL BOX AT HER HOUSE. THE MEDICATIONS INCLUDE: GERITOL WITH IRON, IRBESARTAN HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE, ***, ***, ***, VITAMIN D3. GRANDMOTHER TRIED TO REMOVE PILLS FROM PATIENT'S MOUTH. DX: SUSPECTED INGESTION
4YOM INGESTED ABOUT *** VITAMINS WITH EXTRA IRON TODAY , DAD SAYS A LOT INGESTED BUT UNSURE OF HOW MANY. DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
11MOF INGESTED A COUPLE OF CAPSULES OF PRENATAL VITAMINS . SHE WAS FOUND ON THE FLOOR WITH THE BOTTLE OPEN AND SOME WET PILLS ON THE GROUND. SHE VOMITED AFTER. DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
21 MOM PRESENTS WITH VOMITING AT HOME S/P MOM FOUND THE REMNANTS OF A GREEN PILL IN PATIENT'S MOUTH AND THINKS IT IS HER IRON PILL DUE TO HER BEING PREGNANT AND TAKES THESE. MOM STATES SHE IS MISSING 1-3 IRON PILLS. DX: VOMITING; ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
2YOM INGESTED 1 TABLET OF VALEDFEER 200MG(IRON) PILLTHAT IS PRESCRIBED TO MOTHER. DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
20 MOF GOT INTO MOMS IRON PILLS. CONCERN FOR INGESTION. DX ACCIDENTAL INGESTION
12MOF INGESTED 1-2 OF MOM'S PRENATAL VITAMINS AT HOME. SHE HAD ONE SMALL EPISODE OF EMESIS AND IS LETHARGIC DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
23MOF MAY HAVE TAKEN A BITE OF A PRENATAL VITAMIN FOR BRAIN HEALTH(***). NO POISON CONTROL CALLED AT HOME. DX: INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to preparations containing iron salts on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are preparations containing iron salts?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, preparations containing iron salts have a danger score of 37/100 (low risk). An estimated 763 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from preparations containing iron salts?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 15,212 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from preparations containing iron salts increasing or decreasing?
Up 14% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for preparations containing iron salts injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 15,252 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by preparations containing iron salts?
Of all ER visits involving preparations containing iron salts, approximately 11.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (88.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with preparations containing iron salts?
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 37/100 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.
