Wood Paneling And Particleboard
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.
Building Materials & Home Structures · CPSC Code 1885
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Wood Paneling And Particleboard carry a danger score of 32/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 1,621 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 32/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 1,621
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1885 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 32/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for wood paneling and particleboard - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,621 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-1%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Wood Paneling And Particleboard (CPSC product code 1885, in the Building Materials & Home Structures category) generate an estimated 1,621 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 32,422 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 32/100 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 2005 (3,997 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (352 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for wood paneling and particleboard is foreign body to the finger, accounting for approximately 2,469 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the finger (1,803 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 6,075 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 1.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how wood paneling and particleboard 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 | 254 | 280 | |
| 5-14 | 1,519 | 673 | |
| 15-24 | 2,632 | 1,111 | |
| 25-34 | 4,510 | 1,565 | |
| 35-44 | 4,089 | 892 | |
| 45-54 | 3,796 | 1,634 | |
| 55-64 | 3,023 | 1,339 | |
| 65-74 | 2,176 | 642 | |
| 75+ | 1,723 | 567 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Foreign Body | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Hand | Fracture | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Hand | Foreign Body | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
52YOM COMES IN NOW WITH PAIN IN THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS RIB CAGE. PATIENT WAS ATTEMPTING TO MOVE A SHEET OF PLYWOOD AND IT SLIPPED AND STRUCK HIM IN THE SIDE. DX: RIB FRACTURE
47YOF C/O SWELLING (L) 3RD FINGER PAIN (R) FOOT, GOT SPLINTER IN FINGER WHEN MOVING PLYWOOD AT HOME,DROPPED GAME BOX ON (R) FOOT. DX: CONTUSION RIGHT FOOT, FOREIGN BODY IN SKIN OF LEFT MIDDLE FINGER WITH INFECTION
30YOM TRIED TO BREAK A BORED WIT HIS RIGHT KNEE OUT OF FRUSTRATION WHICH RESULTED IN RIGHT KNEE PAIN AND SWELLING. DX: ACUTE PAIN OF RIGHT KNEE
43YOM PRESENTS LEFT HAND LACERATION. PATIENT CUT HIS HAND ON A PIECE OF PLYWOOD THAT WAS FROZEN. HE STATES HE WAS HOOKING UP A TRUCK AND A PLOW FRONT WHEN HE GOT HIS TOP OF THE HAND CAUGHT.. BLEEDING CONTROLLED ON ARRIVAL. DX: LACERATION LEFT HAND WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY.
22YOF PRESENTS TO ER WITH CHIEF COMPLAINT OF A SPLINTER TO HER LEFT THIRD MIDDLE DISTAL NAIL BED AFTER WORKING WITH WOOD PANELING PRIOR TO ARRIVAL TODAY. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN SKIN OF FINGER OF LEFT HAND
27YOM WAS ANGRY AND PUNCHED A WOODEN WALL WITH RIGHT HAND DX:FRACTURED HAND
33 YOF ACCIDENTALLY BUMPED INTO A STACK OF PARTICLE BOARD AND WAS KNOCKED OVER ON HER RIGHT SIDE YESTERDAY. DX: RIGHT HIP CONTUSION
52 YOF CLEANING PANELING WALL GOT SPLINTER IN FINGER DX SPLINTER IN FINGER
48YOF TRIPPED OVER A WOODEN BOARD AT A ***, STUMBLED BUT DID NOT FALL TO THE GROUND, AFTERWARDS HAS LEFT-SIDED LOW BACK PAIN DX: LOW BACK PAIN
41YOF WAS PULLING DOWN AT THE GARAGE DOOR IN A RIGHT ARM GOT YANKED NOW HAVING PAIN IN NECK AND RIGHT SHOULDER DX: NECK PAIN, SHOULDER PAIN, CERVICAL RADICULOPATHY
17YOM PRESENTS WITH HAND PAIN /INJURY AFTER HITTING A WOODEN BOARD WHILE EXERCISING. PT COMPLAINS OF MIDDLE FINGER PAIN, AND FINGER PAIN TO LEFT HAND. DX: PAIN IN HAND AND FINGERS
14YOM SMASHED RING FINGER ON RIGHT HAND WHILE LOADING PLYWOOD. RIGHT RING FINGER WITH LACERATION AND SWELLING. DX: OPEN FRACTURE OF TUFT OF DISTAL PHALANX OF FINGER, LACERATION OF RIGHT RING FINGER WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Bison Building Supply MDF particle board was used 1 week ago in children's bedroom to create a wall unit and closet space that is 24 inches by 18 feet. since the product was used in the home, myself and my kids have had difficulty walking into the room without burning eyes and throat, and 3 out of 5 family members have come down with headaches and flu-like symptoms., it is impossible to stand in the room, let alone sleep in the room with this material. i have called and left a message for the manager at bison building supply to call me back regarding further heath and safety information for children living and sleeping for 8 hrs a night around this material and have not rec'd a response back yet. I believe this product that is being sold at Bison does not meet health and safety standards if this material is causing such a reaction. Furthermore, the contractor that built the structure also reported in sick on 3/24/15 and he has had the most contact with this product. It is like having 'tear-gas' in the home. Please help me review if this particle board that Bison Building Supply in Houston Texas meets safety standards!
This 81 year old consumer purchased wood paneling August 7th, 2018 and hung it in his bedroom for the next four days with installation being completed around August 11th. Once hung the caller and his wife noticed an odor that they could only associate with Formaldehyde. They opened windows and doors to air the room out hoping the odor would dissipate but he said it only became stronger. He said that they began feeling sick so they agreed they needed to remove the paneling from their bedroom and return it to the retailer where they purchased it. They did return it but he said they kept a small amount for testing and that the retailer has refused to reimburse him for the returned paneling. He believes that there is something in the paneling that does cause it to be unsafe and he is reporting it due to this belief. Both the consumer and his wife suffered symptoms from this exposure such as watery eyes, runny nose, sore throat with nausea and his 80 year old wife suffered the same but with added loss of appetite.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to wood paneling and particleboard on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are wood paneling and particleboard?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, wood paneling and particleboard have a danger score of 32/100 (low risk). An estimated 1,621 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from wood paneling and particleboard?
The most common injury is foreign body to the finger, accounting for approximately 2,469 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from wood paneling and particleboard increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for wood paneling and particleboard injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 6,075 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by wood paneling and particleboard?
Of all ER visits involving wood paneling and particleboard, approximately 1.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with wood paneling and particleboard?
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 Building Materials & Home Structures
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 32/100 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 25-34 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.
