Skip to main content

The Truth about the Dangers of Balloons and Children

Editor's Note (2026): This article has been updated where scientific understanding, laws, or statistics have changed since it was originally published. Updated information is marked with an asterisk (*) and explained in the Update Notes at the end of the article.

For the past several months I have been going to Northlake Mall to teach my daughter to share. The plan was to come up with something fun to have her give away and then see the fruit of her labor, aka popularity and community play. I landed on balloons. Kids cannot swing or throw them hard enough to hurt each other. On a couple occasions a mother would be very concerned about balloons around their child. To ease my mind, I did some research to find out the truth.

For perspective, of the 5,000 toddler deaths in 2000, only 1 was caused by a balloon. *Balloon deaths have dropped over the years, but they have not disappeared. In the mid-1990s, balloons caused about seven to ten child deaths a year, according to the CDC, and balloons are still the leading cause of suffocation death among all children's products. Also please note that there were only 17 toy-related deaths in 2000. *In 2023, the CPSC received reports of 10.

The CPSC, Consumer Product Safety Commission, "does not believe that a completely inflated balloon presents a hazard to young children. If the balloon breaks, however, CPSC recommends that parents immediately collect the pieces of the broken balloon and dispose of them out of the reach of young children." *In other words, a fully inflated balloon is not the concern; uninflated balloons and broken pieces are. That is why it is wise to pick up broken pieces right away. *In 1992, the CPSC decided against requiring a warning label on balloon packaging, but Congress made the warning mandatory in 1994. Since 1995, every latex balloon package must warn that children under 8 can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons, that adult supervision is required, and that broken balloons should be thrown away at once. *If you hand out balloons the way I did, give them out already inflated, make sure a parent is watching, and pick up any broken pieces right away.

So how do kids choke themselves? Many children were trying to blow them up and accidentally sucked them down. Another common way is when children try to blow up broken pieces and/or suck them in to create bubbles. (Please read the CPSC pamphlet linked below.)

For the good news, the safest time in a person's life is from 1 to 14 years of age. Fewer humans die during that age. *Based on 2024 CDC data, a person is about 4 times more likely to die between the ages of 15 and 24, 7 times more likely between 25 and 34, 12 times more likely between 35 and 44, 22 times more likely between 45 and 54, and 49 times more likely between 55 and 64. Your children need your love and affection more than your protection. It is another story once they start driving . . . then it is time for fear ; )

For real concerns, the statistics seem to discourage the use of candy, gum, or giving your kids coins. I would like to thank the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Balloon Council, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission for their research and informative websites.

That's right, there is a Balloon Council! This is their facts page on balloons and the risky business of latex and infant death!!!
The Balloon Council: Balloon Facts

Consumer Product Safety Commission pamphlet on the how and why of balloon-related child deaths. "The CPSC does not believe that a completely inflated balloon presents a hazard to young children. If the balloon breaks, however, CPSC recommends that parents immediately collect the pieces of the broken balloon and dispose of them out of the reach of young children."
CPSC: Suffocation Danger Associated with Children's Balloons

The CPSC's yearly Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries reports gave the toy stats used in this article (17 deaths in 2000, 1 balloon related; 25 deaths in 2001, 4 balloon related). This page lists every annual report, including the most recent:
CPSC: Toys and Children's Products Reports

If you like to read, this is the 100-page detailed report of every death in America from 2005-6. Page 17 gives general stats on infant death.
CDC: Deaths, Leading Causes for 2006

Another long read but very cool: most interesting fact, you are least likely to die between the ages of 1 and 14 years of age, in some cases by a factor of 100. (Page 22 of the report)
CDC: Deaths, Final Data for 2006

This report is specifically on choking: pretty good argument against candy and gum. *The surprise on nonedible items: coins were the most common one kids choked on.
CDC: Nonfatal Choking-Related Episodes Among Children (2002)

More toy stats on how the kids died from the toy-related accidents:
CDC: Toy-Related Injuries Among Children and Teenagers (1997)

Originally written [DATE]. Updated 2026.

Update Notes (click to expand)

1. Balloon deaths over time

  • Original wording: "Before we knew balloons were dangerous (in the 1980s) around 11 kids died each year from balloon related accidents. In the 1990s, the number dropped to 6 because of warning labels and public awareness. Today it is almost nonexistent. I cannot find any statistics past 2001 which was 4 deaths. Clearly there are not enough deaths to warrant significant research or acknowledgement."
  • Why it changed: The decade-by-decade numbers could not be verified, and balloon deaths have not become "almost nonexistent." The statement that there were not enough deaths to warrant acknowledgement was removed because federal law requires a balloon choking warning and the CPSC continues to track balloon deaths.
  • Current evidence: A 1997 CDC report found balloons caused seven to ten child deaths each year. The CPSC reports that balloons are the leading cause of suffocation death among children's products. About 38 percent of toy-related choking deaths reported between 2001 and 2014 involved balloons.
  • Sources: CDC MMWR: Toy-Related Injuries Among Children and Teenagers (1997); CPSC: Suffocation Danger Associated with Children's Balloons; St. Louis Children's Hospital: Why Are Latex Balloons a Danger to Children?

2. Toy-related deaths today

  • Original wording: None. This sentence was added.
  • Why it changed: Added so readers can compare the 2000 figure with current data.
  • Current evidence: The CPSC reported that 10 children died in toy-related incidents in 2023.
  • Source: CPSC News Release (2025)

3. Removed: homicide and car comparisons

  • Original wording: "It seems your child is 2500% more likely to be the victim of a homicide than to die from playing with his toys. Your child is 50,000% more likely to die in your car than from a balloon."
  • Why it was removed: These comparisons were calculated from a single year of data, partly from a website that no longer exists, and could not be re-verified.

4. Inflated balloons

  • Original wording: "In other words, inflated balloons are of no concern at all. However, it is wise to pick up broken pieces."
  • Why it changed: "No concern at all" overstated the CPSC's position. The CPSC says a completely inflated balloon is not a hazard, but an inflated balloon can break, and uninflated balloons and broken pieces are the main danger.
  • Source: CPSC: Suffocation Danger Associated with Children's Balloons

5. Balloon warning labels are required by law

  • Original wording: "Furthermore, the CPSC decided against passing a mandatory law to put a warning label on balloon packaging. All current warnings are voluntary from the balloon manufactures."
  • Why it changed: This was incorrect even when the article was written. The CPSC did decline to require a label in 1992, but Congress passed the Child Safety Protection Act in 1994, making the warning mandatory.
  • Current evidence: Since January 1, 1995, every latex balloon, or toy or game containing one, must carry a choking hazard warning stating that children under 8 can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons, that adult supervision is required, and that broken balloons should be discarded at once.
  • Sources: CPSC: Child Safety Protection Act Fact Sheet; Public Law 103-267, Child Safety Protection Act (1994)

6. Handing out balloons safely

7. Death rates by age

  • Original wording: "A human is 4 times more likely to die between the ages of 15 to 19. A human is 6 times more likely to die between the ages of 20 to 24. A human is 9 times more likely to die between the ages of 35 to 39. A human is 23 times more likely to die between the ages of 45 to 49. A human is 38 times more likely to die between the ages of 55 to 59."
  • Why it changed: The figures were based on 2006 data. They were recalculated using the most recent CDC data, which reports death rates in 10-year age groups.
  • Current evidence: In 2024, the death rate was 25.6 per 100,000 for ages 1 to 4 and 14.5 for ages 5 to 14 (about 17.5 combined for ages 1 to 14), compared with 66.9 for ages 15 to 24, 124.5 for 25 to 34, 213.9 for 35 to 44, 386.9 for 45 to 54, and 859.8 for 55 to 64. Ages 5 to 14 remain the lowest-risk age group.
  • Source: CDC NCHS Data Brief 548: Mortality in the United States, 2024

8. Coins

  • Original wording: "The surprise on non edible items- the majority of kids choke on coins."
  • Why it changed: Coins were the most common single nonfood item in the CDC report, but not a majority.
  • Current evidence: Of an estimated 5,513 nonfood choking episodes treated in emergency departments in 2001, 2,229 (about 40 percent) involved coins. Candy and gum accounted for 19 percent of all choking episodes.
  • Source: CDC MMWR: Nonfatal Choking-Related Episodes Among Children (2002)

Editor's Notes

  • Several original links no longer work and were removed. They are listed here for the record: CPSC toy death reports for 2001 (http://www.cpsc.gov/LIBRARY/toydth01.pdf) and 2000 (http://www.cpsc.gov/LIBRARY/toydth00.pdf), now replaced by the CPSC page listing all annual reports; the CPSC 1992 press release on balloon warnings (http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml92/92067.html), which is addressed in Update Note 5; and two Statistics Top 10 pages on infant and toddler causes of death (http://www.statisticstop10.com/Causes_of_Death_Infants.html and http://www.statisticstop10.com/Causes_of_Death_Toddlers.html).
  • The Balloon Council is a balloon industry group. Its facts page is linked for reference, but some of its statements differ from CPSC data.
  • The paragraph on how children choke on balloons was reworded for clarity, since the original described two different ways as both being the most common.
  • Minor spelling and grammar corrections were made throughout.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Biblical Distinction Between Holiness and Perfection

The difference between holiness and perfection is often blurred in modern theology, yet both Scripture and classical philosophy treat them as distinct concepts that answer fundamentally different questions. At its core, perfection concerns completeness or fulfillment. In the classical tradition associated with Aristotle and later Aquinas, perfection is teleological, meaning it is end-directed. A thing is perfect when it fully actualizes what it is meant to be. Perfection is therefore comparative and measurable relative to a standard, and it answers a specific question. Is anything missing? A perfect circle lacks none of the properties required to be a circle. A perfect knife fulfills its cutting purpose without deficiency. This understanding aligns closely with the New Testament’s use of the Greek word teleios (τέλειος), which means complete, mature, or brought to its intended end. Jesus uses this term in Matthew 5:48 (NIV), which says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Thoughts on Guilt

I am looking for counter arguments. The only way I am going to discover the truth is through your ideas. This is a progressing thought, I don't presume to be right. If you are religious substitute God for Nature. In the beginning of my thoughts on guilt, I was looking for its purpose. I believe that all life is balanced everything adds up to zero. Physics has suggested that nothing is created or destroyed. I don’t believe that we have evolved past the principles of Nature and are continually subject to its principles. Being this isn’t a discourse on balance, please read this with the assumption that the previous statement is true. If everything is in balance what is guilt balancing and what is it replacing. Guilt is self induced emotional abuse. When we hurt someone one, we hurt ourselves as penance for doing wrong. We balance the scales by punishing ourselves for our poor behavior. Once the act of guilt has been initiated, we are now justified and blameless until we hurt another. ...
3 comments
Read more

On the Nature of Taste and Whether It Can Be Learned

At some point, most people encounter someone whose sense of style, fashion, or decor feels consistently off. At first, this is easy to dismiss as a matter of preference. Taste is subjective, we tell ourselves. But when poor taste recurs across different contexts, it raises a more unsettling question. What exactly is taste? How does good taste develop? Why do some people seem unable to acquire it? Good taste is often misunderstood as trend awareness or personal expression. In reality, it is something far more restrained and disciplined. Good taste is the ability to recognize proportion, coherence, and intention within a given context. It reflects an understanding of relationships between elements rather than attachment to any single element. People with good taste notice balance, scale, rhythm, and absence. They sense when something is excessive, distracts from its purpose, or draws attention to itself unnecessarily. Most importantly, they adapt their choices to context. What works in o...
Post a Comment
Read more