Turpentine
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 933
Up 16% over 5 years
The verdict
Turpentine carry a danger score of 29/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 155 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 16% over the last five years.
- 29/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 155
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 933 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 29/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for turpentine - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume155 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+16%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Turpentine (CPSC product code 933, in the Home Workshop Tools & Equipment category) generate an estimated 155 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 3,091 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 29/100 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 16% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2022 (384 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (16 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for turpentine is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 1,497 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burn, chemical to the hand (220 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 607 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 2.6% 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 turpentine 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 | 319 | 288 | |
| 5-14 | 46 | 211 | |
| 15-24 | 159 | 192 | |
| 25-34 | 16 | 284 | |
| 35-44 | 263 | 76 | |
| 45-54 | 354 | 32 | |
| 55-64 | 322 | 16 | |
| 65-74 | 140 | 167 | |
| 75+ | 119 | 83 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Hand | Burn, Chemical | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Ear | Other | |
| Lower Arm | Derma/conjunct | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Foot | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Derma/conjunct | |
| Eyeball | Hematoma | |
| Upper Trunk | Burns, Thermal | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Hand | Derma/conjunct | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Upper Leg | Burn, Chemical | |
| Head | Burn, Chemical |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
49YOM THINKS HE MAY HAVE SOMETHING IN HIS LEFT EYE. PT.. WAS CLEANING STICKERS OFF HIS TRAILER, MAY HAVE GOTTEN TURPENTINE IN HIS EYE.DX: CORNEAL FOREIGN BODY.
64YOM C/O PUTTING TURPINTINE IN BOTH EARS, BY ACCIDENT INSTEAD OF OLIVE OIL THIS MORNING, HE PICKED UP TURPINTINE. HE MEANT TO APPLY OLIVE OIL IN HIS EARS BEFORE EMBARKING ON A JOURNEY BY AIR. DX: BILATERAL ACUTE OTITIS EXTERNA OF EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANALS CAUSE BY CHEMICAL
80 YOM OPENDED A CAN OF MINERAL SPIRITS THAT SPLASHED IN HIS EYE. DX: CHEMICAL EXPOSURE RIGHT EYE.
27 YOF STATES HER UNCLE TOLD HER TO TAKE A CAPFUL OF TURPENTINE TO HELP HER WITH HER ALLERGIES. SHE PRESENTS WITH NAUSEA AND EPIGASTRIC ABDOMINAL PAINDX: TURPENTINE POISONING ACCIDENTAL
9 YOM ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED TURPENTINE DX; ACCIDENTAL INGESTION
5YOF DRANK TURPENTINE THAT WAS IN A *** BOTTLE THAT BROTHER KEEPS WITH HIS PAINTING MATERIALS. SHE IMMEDIATELY SPIT IT OUT AND WAHED HER MOUTH OUT. SHE COMPLAINED OF MOUTH PAIN AT THE TIME, DX: ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE
66YOM WAS EATING BEEF SAUSAGE AND A PIECE GOT STUCK IN HIS THROAT DX: ACUTE ESOPHAGEAL OBSTRUCTION
26 YOF C/O ALTERED MENTAL STATUS AND VOMITING AND DIARRHEA S/P SMOKING MARIJUANA AND INGESTING TURPENTINE LIQUID AS AN ALCOHOL CLEANSE THAT SHE READ ABOUT ON THE INTERNET, WHILE AT HOME. DX: VOMITING AND DIARRHEA; MARIJUANA SMOKING; INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE, ACCIDENTAL OR UNINTENTIONAL
28YOF TO ER FOR POLYSUBSTANCE DRUG ABUSE, PT CONCERNED ABOUT HEROIN WITHDRAWL, SAYS SHE DRANK TURENTINE 2 DAYS AGO THINKING IT WAS METH, PT HAS SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, DX ACUTE PSYCHOSIS, KYPOKALEMIA, LEUKOCYTOSIS, HEROIN WITHDRAWL, METH ABUSE, POLYSUBSTANCE ABUSE
49yom put turpentine into prune juice and drank it developing abdominal pain-(saw it on *** advertised,saying turpentine will cure most ailments) DX: hydrocarbon ingestion, abdominal pain
69 YOF C/O UPPER ABDOMINAL PAIN (ABOVE NAVEL) S/P DRANK TURPENTINE THAT SHE ORDERED OFF OF *** IN ORDER TO RID HER BODY OF BUGS. PATIENT IS WORRIED THAT SHE MAY BE POISONED. DX: DELUSIONAL DISORDER
3YOM PRESENTS FOR EVALUATION OF TURPENTINES/PAIN THINNER INGESTION. PER MOM, PT GOT INTO HER BOTTLE OF PAINT THINNER AND DRANK ABOUT 3 ML OF THE TURPENTINES. DX: ASPIRATION PENUMONITIS; TACHYPNEA. %
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Consumer stated that she purchased a can of Turpentine, however when she opened it up the container it did not smell like turpentine, there was strong odor of chemical which caused a sore throat, burning itching eyes and sneezing. Consumer stated that because the odor was so strong she had to take back to the retailer store and was informed that it was placed in the hazmat department. She received no more information on the item. She was also given a refund. Consumer feels that this product is health hazard and should be investigated.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to turpentine on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are turpentine?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, turpentine have a danger score of 29/100 (low risk). An estimated 155 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from turpentine?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 1,497 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from turpentine increasing or decreasing?
Up 16% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for turpentine injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 607 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by turpentine?
Of all ER visits involving turpentine, approximately 2.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with turpentine?
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 29/100 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.
