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Fireworks Safety
Fireworks are dangerous! Every year they cause significant injuries, property damage and sometimes even death. In 1998 there were 8,500 emergency room visits associated with fireworks injuries. The cost of fireworks injuries is estimated to be around one million dollars annually. Most firework injuries are burns to the hands and face. About 20 to 25 percent of those involved the eye. Bottle rockets are the worst offender, accounting for 58 percent of all fireworks ocular injuries.
Two-thirds of all fireworks injuries each year occur in the month around the Fourth of July celebration. Misuse accounts for 60 percent of eye injuries, with bystanders injured more frequently than operators. Most fireworks injuries occur around the home (67%). Illegal fireworks account for 29 percent of all fireworks injuries. Bottle rockets, sky rockets and roman candles account for most eye injuries. Sparklers are the second most common category causing eye injuries. This supposedly safe type of firework creates temperatures of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt gold.
Children are especially susceptible to fireworks injury. Children between the ages of 5 and 14 account for 40 percent of fireworks injuries. One study estimates that unsupervised children are 11 times more likely to be injured than children who have adult supervision. Boys are three times more likely to be injured than girls.
Fireworks injuries can be prevented! The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) urges everyone to treat fireworks, whether legal or illegal for consumers, as suitable for use only by trained professionals. The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to let the pro's handle them. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Council on Fireworks Safety make the following recommendations:
- Buy fireworks from reputable dealers and never buy illegal fireworks.
- Read and follow all warnings and instructions.
- Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks.
- The shooter should always wear eye protection and should never have any
part of the body over the firework.
- Be sure that all bystanders are well out of range before lighting fireworks.
- Light fireworks on a flat surface away from structures and potentially
flammable materials.
- Light only one firework at a time.
- Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of a malfunction
or fire.
- Never relight a "dud" firework. Don't pick it up with your hands! Wait 15
to 20 minutes and then soak it in a
bucket of water before disposing of it.
- Never throw or shoot fireworks at other people.
- Never shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers.
If an eye injury does occur, Prevent Blindness America recommends:
- Don't delay medical attention. Even "mild" eye injuries can worsen and
result in serious vision loss or blindness.
Go directly to the nearest emergency room or call 911.
- Stay clam and don't panic. Especially, keep children as calm as possible.
- Don't rub the eye. Rubbing or trying to examine the eye can worsen the
damage. Keep a child's hands away
from his or her face. While the automatic response is to rub or hold the
injured eye, the additional pressure may
cause more injury.
- Don't rinse the eye out. Like rubbing, this may cause more injury and may
only delay the trip to the
emergency room.
- Shield the eye from pressure. Tape or secure the bottom of a foam cup, a
paper plate or similar shield over
the bones surrounding the eye. But, do not put any pressure on the eye
itself. If nothing else is available,
cup your clean hands over the injured eye.
- Don't give aspirin or Tylenol. These pain medications can thin the blood
and cause more internal bleeding.
They are ineffective in eye injuries anyway.
- Don't apply ointments or medications. These may not be sterile and can
interfere with the doctor's ability to
examine the eye when seconds may count.
- Prevention! Fireworks are attractive to children, but also very
dangerous. Protect yourself and your family from
those who do choose to use fireworks.
References
| 1. | Smith, GA, Knapp JF, Barnett TM, Shields BJ. The rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air: fireworks related injuries to children. Pediatrics. 1996; 98(1):1-9. | | 2. | McFarland LV, Harris JR, Kobayashi JM, Dicker RC. Risk factors for fireworks-related injury in Washington State. JAMA 1984:251:3251-3254. | | 3. | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). | | 4. | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). (28 June 1993). Safety commission holds seventh annual fireworks safety news conference. 1993. | | 5. | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Fireworks - Publication #12. | | 6. | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). (5 May 1996). CPSC stops hazardous products at the docks: Preventing fireworks injuries and deaths. | | 7. | CDC Fireworks-related injuries. Marion County, Indiana, 1986-1991. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 1992;41:451-453. | | 8. | CDC Serious eye injuries associated with fireworks - United States, 1990-1994. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 1995;44:449-452. | | 9. | California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; State Fire Marshal. California 4th of July fireworks safety: Fireworks injury by type of device. | | 10. | National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Fireworks-related injuries, deaths, and fires in the U.S.; Hall JR October 1999. |
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