While Halloween offers a chance to embrace all things spooky and supernatural, the real terrors this season aren't confined to ghost stories. From pumpkin-carved fingers to contact lens infections that can lead to life-threatening heart conditions, the festivities come with genuine medical hazards - some surprisingly severe.
Author
- Adam Taylor
Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University
In the US, 44% of Halloween-related injuries stem from pumpkin carving, ranging from minor scratches to lacerations that slice through major nerves, blood vessels and tendons . Specific pumpkin carving knives or tools have been shown to be much safer , though not risk-free.
Pumpkins pose additional dangers when candles are lit inside them. The flames can ignite property or costumes , often leaving victims with severe burns. There is a notable spike in burn-related injuries each year around Halloween, particularly among children. One high-profile case involved TV personality Claudia Winkelman's daughter, Matilda, who suffered life-changing injuries in 2014, aged eight, when her Halloween costume caught fire.
Costumes themselves create multiple hazards beyond burns. Ill-fitting outfits can lead to broken bones from slips and trips, while masks and heavy headwear obscure vision. Latex allergies from costume materials represent another risk, causing anything from irritation and rashes through, in very rare cases, to death .
The combination of dark October evenings and dark costumes creates a particularly dangerous scenario. Data from the UK covering 27 years revealed that on Halloween, the risk of children being killed or seriously injured in traffic accidents is higher than on any other day - and 34% higher between 5pm and 6pm, probably coinciding with rush hour.
In the US, childhood pedestrian deaths are fourfold higher on Halloween than any other day. A separate study found there are four additional pedestrian deaths on Halloween compared with other days.
On Halloween, appearances can be deceiving - sometimes literally. Coloured contact lenses present significant risks to eye health and overall wellbeing. They can cause irritation and redness, eye injury when they snap and cut into the eye , or even a life-threatening heart infection .
Damage to the eye, from ill-fitting or poor quality contact lenses, can promote bacterial growth. These bacteria can migrate from the eye, often in the bloodstream, to elsewhere in the body. One location they can set up camp is in the heart, causing conditions such as infective endocarditis, which kills about one in five people with the condition. This condition is challenging to treat because medicines and immune cells struggle to reach the heart lining.
In the UK, contact lenses, including novelty or non-prescription ones , are classified as medical devices and require a prescription .
Face paints carry both short- and longer-term risks. Skin irritation and pore-blocking can be an immediate annoyance, along with corneal scratches if paint enters the eyes. Ingestion and prolonged or repeated exposure can increase the risk of absorbing potentially toxic elements such as heavy metals and arsenic, which increase cancer risk.
Plastic fangs and other teeth-modifying sets can damage teeth. Designed as one-size-fits-all products, they're likely to loosen teeth and exacerbate existing looseness. If using adhesive to hold them in place, ensure it's approved for dental use. Products like superglue and nail glues will damage tooth enamel - a layer that cannot regenerate - and can burn the gums and inside of the mouth.
Halloween diarrhoea
The obvious concern on Halloween is feeling unwell from consuming excessive sweets or chocolate. However, other consumption hazards have emerged in recent years. Hospital admissions for children who've ingested gummies containing THC or other banned substances have increased noticeably in countries that have legalised or decriminalised cannabis.
For those watching their calorie intake, sugar-free options may backfire - a phenomenon sometimes referred to as "Halloween diarrhoea" . Sorbitol, an artificial sweetener used in sugar-free products, is only about 60% as sweet as sucrose, meaning more must be added to achieve the desired taste. As little as 20g of sorbitol can have a laxative effect in 50% of healthy people . For context, a stick of sugar-free chewing gum contains roughly 1.25g.
Hard sweets present a choking risk year-round, but particularly to younger children , and the increased sweet consumption around Halloween elevates this risk further. Children with nut allergies face additional jeopardy - the incidence of nut-related anaphylaxis increases by approximately 70% on Halloween .
Beyond food, other Halloween traditions carry risks. Trauma to the eye from eggs used as projectiles is commonly seen during the festivities, with some victims losing their sight from such injuries.
Certain crimes and resulting injuries also increase around Halloween, with assaults showing a significant increase . The commercialisation of Halloween celebrations is thought to play a role, with promotional drink offers partly to blame.
Sensible precautions - wearing lights or reflective strips when out with children, moderating sweet intake, and supervising tasks like pumpkin carving - can substantially reduce the risk of becoming another Halloween hospital statistic.
Adam Taylor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
