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Watch out for Fireworks

  • Published
  • By Bob Caley
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Ground Safety Office
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  In 2006, 11 people died and an estimated 9,200 were treated in emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in the U.S. An estimated five percent of fireworks-related injuries treated in the emergency departments required hospitalization associated with blindness, third-degree burns, permanent scarring and life-threatening injuries. People actively participating in fireworks-related activities are more frequently and more severely injured than bystanders.

Those most at risk for fireworks-related injuries are children under 15 years of age. More than two-thirds of all fireworks-related injuries in 2006 occurred between June 16 and July 16. During that time period the following were true:

1. One out of every three people injured were children under 15 years of age;
2. About three times as many males were injured as females;
3. Young people under twenty sustained nearly half (47 percent) of all injuries from fireworks.

The body parts most often injured were hands (2,300 injuries), eyes (1,500 injuries), and the head, face, and ear (1,400 injuries). More than half of the injuries were burns. Burns were the most common injury to all body parts except the eyes and head areas, where contusions, lacerations and foreign bodies in the eye occurred more frequently.

Firecrackers were associated with the greatest number of injuries, estimated at 1,300. There were 1,000 injuries associated with sparklers and 800 associated with rockets. Sparklers accounted for one-third of the injuries to children under the age of 5.

Between 2000 and 2005, more than one-third of the fireworks-related deaths involved professional devices that were illegally sold to consumers. Additionally, in 2004 an estimated 2,200 reported structure or vehicle fires were started by fireworks. These fires resulted in $21 million in direct property damage.
These injuries and property damage result because of:

· Availability: In spite of federal regulations and varying state prohibitions, many types of fireworks are still accessible to the public. Distributors often sell fireworks near state borders, where laws prohibiting sales on either side of the border may differ.
· Fireworks type: Among the various types of fireworks, some of which are sold legally in some states such as bottle rockets can fly into peoples' faces causing eye injuries; sparklers can ignite clothing (sparklers burn at more than 1,000 F); and firecrackers can injure the hands or face if they explode at close range.
· Being too close: Injuries result from being too close to fireworks when they explode; for example, when someone leans over to look more closely at a firework that has been ignited, or when a misguided bottle rocket hits a nearby person.
· Lack of physical coordination: Younger children often lack the physical coordination to handle fireworks safely.
· Curiosity: Children are often excited and curious around fireworks, which can increase their chances of being injured; for example, when they re-examine a firecracker that fails to ignite right away thinking it was a dud.
· Experimentation: Homemade fireworks can lead to dangerous and unpredictable explosions; for example, ones made of the powder from several firecrackers.

In accordance with the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the sale of the most dangerous types of fireworks, and the components intended to make them, are prohibited. These include various large aerial devices, such as M-80s, M-100s, blockbusters, quarter-sticks, half-sticks and other large firecrackers which have been federally banned since 1966. Any firecracker with more than 50 milligrams of explosive powder and any aerial firework with more than 130 milligrams of flash powder is banned under federal law, as are mail order kits and components designed to build these fireworks.

The safest way to prevent fireworks-related injuries is to leave fireworks displays to trained professionals. Stay away from anything that isn't clearly labeled with the name of the item, the manufacturer's name, and instructions for proper use.

Sources:
Centers for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov
Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov
The National Council on Fireworks Safety, www.fireworksafety.com