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Which Substances Need Child-Resistant Packaging Under Federal Law
A federal rule, 16 CFR §1700.14, requires child-resistant packaging for named household substances. Here is what it says about five of them: aspirin, methyl salicylate, iron, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen.
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Updated: Sources: 1
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What matters now
- 16 CFR §1700.14 names aspirin, methyl salicylate, iron drugs, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen as requiring special packaging.
- Every listed substance ties to the same standard: special packaging meeting §1700.20(a)'s requirements.
- The ibuprofen entry sets a threshold: one gram (1,000 mg) or more in a single package.
- The methyl salicylate entry applies above 5 percent by weight in liquid preparations.
A federal regulation — 16 CFR §1700.14, titled “Substances requiring special packaging,” part of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act rules — enumerates a specific list of household substances. For each one, “special packaging meeting the requirements of §1700.20(a) is required” (eCFR §1700.14). This article reports only what that section’s text names and the packaging standard it points to.
This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.
Key points
- The regulation names aspirin-containing preparations, methyl salicylate liquids above a stated concentration, iron-containing drugs, acetaminophen preparations, and ibuprofen preparations as requiring special packaging.
- Every listed substance is tied to the same packaging standard: “special packaging meeting the requirements of §1700.20(a) is required” (eCFR §1700.14).
- The ibuprofen entry carries a specific quantity threshold: “one gram (1,000 mg) or more of ibuprofen in a single package” (eCFR §1700.14).
- The methyl salicylate entry carries a specific concentration threshold: “more than 5 percent by weight of methyl salicylate” (eCFR §1700.14).
Aspirin packaging
The section names “Any aspirin-containing preparation for human use in a dosage form intended for oral” administration (eCFR §1700.14) as one of the substances requiring special packaging.
Methyl salicylate
The section names “Liquid preparations containing more than 5 percent by weight of methyl salicylate, other than those” excepted elsewhere in the section (eCFR §1700.14).
Iron-containing drugs
The section names “noninjectable animal and human drugs providing iron for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes, and containing” iron at the levels the section specifies (eCFR §1700.14).
Acetaminophen packaging
The section names “Preparations for human use in a dosage form intended for oral administration and containing in a” single package acetaminophen at the levels the section specifies (eCFR §1700.14).
Ibuprofen packaging
The section names “Ibuprofen preparations for human use in a dosage form intended for oral administration and containing one gram (1,000 mg) or more of ibuprofen in a single package” (eCFR §1700.14) as requiring special packaging.
Packaging-standard reference
For each of the substances above, the section’s operative requirement is the same: “special packaging meeting the requirements of §1700.20(a) is required” (eCFR §1700.14). Section 1700.14 names which substances the rule covers; it does not itself spell out the testing method — that lives in the separate section it cross-references.
What this article does not answer
This article reports only which substances 16 CFR §1700.14 names and the packaging standard it cites. It does not address whether child-resistant packaging is actually childproof, any dosing or poisoning question, how state law may differ from this federal rule, or what to do in a poisoning emergency. Readers with any of those questions should consult a pharmacist, physician, or emergency service directly rather than this record.
Source links
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II/subchapter-E/part-1700/section-1700.14