Tablet Or Capsule Drugs
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 1931
Down 17% over 5 years
The verdict
Tablet Or Capsule Drugs carry a danger score of 46/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 30,253 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 17% over the last five years.
- 46/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 30,253
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 18.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1931 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 46/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for tablet or capsule drugs - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume30,253 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)18.8%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-17%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Tablet Or Capsule Drugs (CPSC product code 1931, in the Transportation & Substances category) generate an estimated 30,253 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 605,058 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 46/100 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 declining by about 17% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2010 (42,107 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (21,763 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for tablet or capsule drugs is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 604,549 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (152 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 605,008 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 18.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 3 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how tablet or capsule drugs 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 | 315,141 | 289,794 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Not Stated/unk | Other | |
| Mouth | Burn, Chemical | |
| Lower Trunk | Burn, Chemical | |
| Hand | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Hemorrhage | |
| Foot | Burns, Thermal | |
| Ear | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Burn, Not Spec. | |
| Face | Derma/conjunct |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
4YOM MOTHER STATES CHILD POSSBILE TOOK ***. DX: POSSIBLE INGESTED WRONG MEDICATION.
21 MOM GOT INTO GREAT GRANDMOTHER'S SPIRONOLACTONE 50MG, THERE WERE APPROX 17 PILLS MISSING, 2 WERE FOUND IN HIS MOUTH, BUT IT'S UNKOWN HOW MANY THE GRANDMOTHER HAS TAKEN SINCE MAY. FAMILY CALLED POISON CONTROL AND THEY TOLD THEM TO COME TO THE ER. DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
3YOF TO ED FOR POSSIBLE INGESTION OF MED, PT WAS LEFT UNATTENDED BRIEFLY, UPON RETURN OF GRANDMOTHER, FOUND HER PURSE HAD BEEN SPILLED ON FLOOR, PILL ORGANIZER SPILLED, AND SHE FOUND 1 TAB OF HCTZ MISSING, PT BROUTHT IN FOR EVALUATION, DX INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
2YOF, INGESTION OF AMOLDIPINE AT GRANDMOTHERS HOUSE, VOMITED, POISON CONTROL CONTACTED IN ED DX: ACCIDENTAL INGESTION
4YOM GOT INTO MELATONIN GUMMIES AND INGESTED ABOUT 10 OF THEM, EACH WAS 3MG DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
15 MOF POSSIPLE PILL INGESTION, FOUND WITH BROTHERS *** 5MG BOTTLE DX POSSIBLE INGESTION
2YOM, CLIMBED OVER THE KITCHEN TABLE AND FOUND HIS GRANDMOTHER'S PILL BOTTLES , THEN LATER MOM FOUND THE PILLS SCATTERED ALL OVER, DID THE COUNT AND DISCOVERED 1 PILL OF *** 2.5MG AND 1 PILL OF *** 20MG ARE MISSING, LATER DURING ER EVAULATION GRANDMOTHER FOUND THE *** MISSING PILL AND CONFIRMED THAT PATIENT DIDN'T INGEST IT, ACTING HIMSELF, DX: INGESTION OF UNKNOWN MEDICATION, ACCIDENTAL
9MOM, MOTHER PLACED 15MG *** PILL ON THE COUNTER AND TURNED HER BACK FOR A MOMENT AND THE PILL WAS GONE LATER FOUND SOME GREEN STUFF COMING OUT OF PATIENT'S MOUTH, TRIED TO SWEEP MOUTH BUT COULDN'T EXTRACT ANY PILLS, CALLED POISON CONTROL AND INSTRUCTED TO PRESENT TO ER, ACTING AT BASELINEDX: ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
2YOF ACCIDENTALLY GOT INTO MOMMA'S BOTTLE OF *** MAY HAVE TAKEN 30 TABLETS OF 137 MICROGRAMS EACH DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
9MOM MOM LEFT A *** TABLET 15 MILLIGRAMS ON THE COUNTER TURNED HER BACK AND NOTICED THE CHILD HAD EATEN IT DX ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF A DRUG
3YOM POSSIBLY INGESTED HIS MOTHERS THYROID PILL TODAY. HE HAD HER PILL BOX CASE OPEN AND SHAKING IT. ONE SINGLE THYROID PILL, METHIMAZOLE 10 MG IS MISSING. DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
2YOM TOOK 1 *** 15MG THAT BELONGS TO HIS COUSIN YESTERDAY. MOM WAS ABLE TO TAKE PILL OUT OF HIS MOUTH BUT SOME RESIDUE ON HIS TONGUE. AFTER THE INGESTION, HE SLEPT THE REST OF THE DAY.. POISON CONTROL TOLD MOM TO MONITOR HIM CLOSELY. TODAY HE WAS UNABLE TO STAND AND WAS RESTLESS AND FUSSY AND HE WAS BROUGHT TO ED FOR EVAL. DX: ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
3yr old was able to unscrew child safe top of Equate brand Ibuprofen tablets.
2yr old child able to open child safe cap and ingest acetaminophen
A male toddler aged approximately 17 months ingested a family member's Bupropion medication at his home. He was taken to a local emergency department where he died. The medical examiner's office performed an autopsy and toxicology studies. The certified cause of death was "Acute Bupropion Intoxication." The manner of death was "Accident."
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to tablet or capsule drugs on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are tablet or capsule drugs?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, tablet or capsule drugs have a danger score of 46/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 30,253 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from tablet or capsule drugs?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 604,549 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from tablet or capsule drugs increasing or decreasing?
Down 17% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for tablet or capsule drugs injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 605,008 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by tablet or capsule drugs?
Of all ER visits involving tablet or capsule drugs, approximately 18.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (81.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with tablet or capsule drugs?
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 46/100 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.
