Fourth of July Fireworks Can Lead to Injury

July 2008

This Fourth of July, Americans will celebrate with family, food and fireworks. But when handling fireworks, the oohs and ahhs can also give way to ouches.

In 2007, nearly 10,000 Americans were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries, such as burns. Almost 65 percent of those injuries occurred during the one-month period surrounding the Fourth of July. Hands, eyes, and legs were the most affected parts of the body.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission provides the following safety information for decreasing the risk of fireworks-related injuries:

• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
• Don't allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Adults should always supervise fireworks activities.
• Don’t buy fireworks that come in brown paper packaging, as this can indicate that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a serious risk to consumers.
• Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have malfunctioned.
• Many injuries in children under five are from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
• Move back a safe distance immediately after lighting a fireworks fuse.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other accident.
• Don’t carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• After fireworks fully complete their functioning, douse the device with water before discarding to prevent a trash fire.