Rust Removers
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 937
Down 26% over 5 years
The verdict
Rust Removers carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 112 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 26% over the last five years.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 112
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 19.9%
- end in hospital admission
- 45-54
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 937 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for rust removers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume112 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)19.9%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-26%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Rust Removers (CPSC product code 937, in the Home Workshop Tools & Equipment category) generate an estimated 112 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 2,230 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 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 26% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2022 (260 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2008 (7 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for rust removers is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 666 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burn, chemical to the hand (526 cases). The 45-54 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 539 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 19.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 5 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how rust removers 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 | 178 | 164 | |
| 5-14 | 68 | 60 | |
| 15-24 | 72 | 158 | |
| 25-34 | 16 | 133 | |
| 35-44 | 113 | 0 | |
| 45-54 | 353 | 186 | |
| 55-64 | 315 | 171 | |
| 65-74 | 81 | 15 | |
| 75+ | 28 | 120 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Hand | Burn, Chemical | |
| Eyeball | Burn, Chemical | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Hand | Other | |
| Shoulder | Burn, Chemical | |
| Finger | Burn, Chemical | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Face | Derma/conjunct | |
| Lower Arm | Other | |
| Elbow | Burn, Chemical |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
76YOF PRESENTS WITH RIGHT HAND CHEMICAL BURN WITH RUST STAIN REMOVER. HER FINGERS WERE IN THE CHEMICAL FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES AS SHE WAS SCRUBBING WITHOUT GLOVES. AS SOON AS SHE STOPPED, SHE NOTICED PAIN AND BURNING IN HER FINGERTIPS. DX: BURN RIGHT HAND
75YOM WAS USING *** RUST REMOVER ON HIS HOUSE WHEN HE GOT SOME SPLASHED INTO HIS RIGHT EYE DX: CHEMICAL BURN EYEBALL
39YOM REPORTS HE WAS TRYING TO CLEAN A PORCH YESTERDAY, REMOVING RUST WITH AN UNKNOWN CHEMICAL THAT SPILLED ON HIS HANDS. PATIENT NOTICED SWELLING AND BLISTERS ON HIS FINGERS OF BOTH HANDS. DX: CHEMICAL BURN, PAIN IN BOTH HANDS, BLISTERS OF MULTIPLE SITES.
2YOF PRESENT WITH MOTHER FOR EVAL OF ACCIDENTAL INGESTION. SHE WAS IN THE GARAGE AT HOME AND WAS FOUND TO HAVE GOTTEN HOLD OF A RUST CLEANER. MOTHER BELIEVES SHE PUT HER MOUTH ON IT BUT IT IS UNKNOWN IF SHE ACTUALLY INGESTED OR SWALLOWED ANY. IMMEDIATELY BEGAN SPITTING. POISON CONTROL WAS CONTACTED.RECOMMENDED ED VISIT. DX: INGESTION OF CORROSIVE CHEMICAL
52YOF STS WAS USING A RUST REMOVER TO CLEAN TOOLS WITHOUT GLOVES AND HAS CHEMICAL BURNS TO L FINGERSDX HYDROFLUORIC ACID BURN L HAND
37YOM WAS WORKING ON HIS CAR AND SPRAYED SOME RUST REMOVER AND IT GOT INTO HIS RIGHT EYE DX: CHEMICAL BURN TO EYE
29 YOF WAS USING A RUST REMOVER WHEN THE BOTTLE SLIPPED AND SPILLED ON HER HANDS. DX: HYDROFLUORIC ACID EXPOSURE.
3YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE GOT INTO A CABINET AND DRANK RUST REMOVER AROUND MIDNIGHT. MOM SAW A DRIP OF THE FLUID IN THE CORNER OF HER MOUTH, BUT DOES NOT BELIEVE SHE DRANK MUCH OF IT. SHE DID CONTACT POISON CONTROL DUE TO THE HYDROFLUORIC ACID IN IT. DR. ALSO SPOKE WITH POISON CONTROL. DX: POISONING, SUSPECTED FOREIGN BODY INGESTION BY INFANT NOT FOUND AFTER EVALUATION
3 YOM SPRAYED CALCIUM, LIME & RUST REMOVER ALL OVER NIGHTSTAND AS WELL AS INTO HIS EYES WHEN PARENTS TOOK EYES OFF OF PT FOR A MOMENT. PARENTS CALLED POISON CONTROL AND WASHED PT'S EYES OUT BUT PT REFUSES TO OPEN EYES. DX: CORNEAL INJURY R EYE.
46 YO M GOT RUST/ STAIN REMOVER IN EYES DX CHEMICAL BURN LT EYE
80 YOF PICKED UP PAPER TOWEL THAT WAS SOAKED IN RUST STAIN REMOVER, DEVELOPED TINGLING IN HAND. DX CHEMICAL HAND BURN
61 YO F CONTACT DERMATITIS FACE-DEVELOPED A RASH FROM RUST REMOVER
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
MIXED LIME-AWAY & [REDACTED] TO CLEAN GLASSES Lungs: severe wheezing SOB, vomiting Discharged home in improved condition after 2 days in hospital Diagnosis: chemical pneumonitis
Cleaning bath tub with rust remover Iron out. Lungs: Diffuse wheezes in both bases bilaterally. SOB, cough. Discharged home in stable condition. Diagnosis: Acute inhalational lung injury
Cleaning tub with iron out. Lungs: normal. DIB, Asthma. Discharged home in stable condition. Diagnosis: Chemical irritation of airway.
A 15 YOM experienced chemical pneumonitis after being exposed to rust remover while watching his dad cleaning bathroom.
Cleaning BR with Ironout Lungs: Clear SOB, DIB Discharged home in stable condition Diagnosis: Acute bronchospasm
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to rust removers on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are rust removers?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, rust removers have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 112 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from rust removers?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 666 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from rust removers increasing or decreasing?
Down 26% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for rust removers injuries?
The 45-54 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 539 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by rust removers?
Of all ER visits involving rust removers, approximately 19.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (80.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with rust removers?
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 33/100 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 45-54 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.
