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Fourth
of July evokes images of parades, barbecues, ice cream and evening skies
alive with the booms and brilliant flashes of fireworks. Almost every town
puts on a display–at a lake, a park or a high school football field–so
that kids of all ages can stretch out on a blanket or pull out a deck chair
and thrill to the noise and color of “the rockets’ red glare,
the bombs bursting in air.”
There’s a darker side to this brilliant display, however, acted out
in emergency rooms across the country where thousands of injuries from fireworks
are treated, most of them involving children. The injuries don’t happen
at the community displays but at home as a result of mishandling privately
purchased fireworks.
Most kids, and many parents, are fascinated by fireworks, entranced by the
fiery eruptions, brilliant colors and deafening bangs. Unfortunately, things
designed to explode in a burst of light and sound have an element of danger.
In the hands of the professionals who run municipal displays, fireworks
pose little threat to the public. But in the hands of children or careless
adults, fireworks can cause serious injury and even death.
Firework laws, governing class C fireworks that are available to consumers,
vary from state to state. Even if you live in a state with stricter laws,
you have no guarantee that your neighborhood will be free of dangerous fireworks.
Fireworks enthusiasts use out-of-state trips to stock up; and major supply
houses can usually be found just outside the border of any state with stricter
laws.
Class C fireworks that can be purchased legally in many states include firecrackers,
various types of rockets, Roman candles, sparklers, fountains, smoke bombs
and jumping jacks.
Illegal fireworks that still find their way into kids’ hands and pockets
include cherry bombs and M–80s. These class B fireworks are banned
from public sale by federal regulation. Although the majority of injuries
involving fireworks are caused by legal class C items, the most serious
injuries are often caused by illegal fireworks.
States that allow the sale of various types of fireworks have 7 times as
many firework-related injuries and 50 times as many house fires related
to fireworks compared with states that limit firework sales.
Children Bear Brunt of Injuries
Emergency rooms treat an estimated 8,500 persons each year for injuries
related to fireworks. Children under the age of 15 account for 45 percent
of those injured. The peak time for firework injuries is during the month
surrounding the fourth of July holiday, which accounts for three of every
four firework injuries recorded for the year. Boys are three times more
likely to be injured than girls. Adolescents aged 10 to 14 are at greatest
risk.
Injuries to the hands, face and eyes are the most common and often involve
burns, lacerations and abrasions. When the eyes are involved, the damage
can be severe. Eye-related injuries account for one of every five emergency
room admissions related to fireworks. One third of those eye injuries
result in permanent blindness. For many families what starts out as a
fun way to celebrate a holiday ends up as a nightmare that might maim
a child for life.
How do such serious accidents happen, often with fireworks that are bought
and used legally?
In some cases, parental supervision is inadequate or nonexistent. One
study of fireworks injuries found that 9 percent were classified as intentional
injuries, usually among children aged 9 to 15. These cases involved throwing
fireworks at other children, igniting fireworks in the pockets of other
children or throwing them onto their socks or shoes.
One third of firework injuries are caused by firecrackers and another
20 percent by bottle rockets, both favorites of adolescents. Holding firecrackers
before throwing them, igniting them in a container or standing too close
to rockets as they are being lit are frequent causes of serious injuries.
Even seemingly harmless fireworks can be deceptive. Ten percent of firework
injuries are caused by sparklers, the tip of which can reach temperatures
of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Young children are most likely to be injured
by sparklers. One study found that two thirds of injuries from sparklers
involved children aged 5 and younger.
Preschoolers and toddlers lack the coordination and judgement needed to
handle sparklers safely. They are more likely to lose their balance, accidentally
poke themselves or another child with the sparkler or touch the sparkler
to their own or someone else’s clothing, setting it on fire. Many
burns related to fireworks occur as a result of clothing set on fire,
posing the risk of severe, large-scale injuries.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all states ban the
sale of consumer fireworks.
In the many states where fireworks are legal or are used illegally, parents
can take a number of steps to help protect their children from firework
injuries.
- Don’t allow young children to play with fireworks.
- If you allow older children to use fireworks, make sure you supervise
all activities. Keep the fireworks in a safe place before use.
- Have a bucket of water close by.
- Use fireworks on a flat, cleared space, away from houses and dry
vegetation.
- Don’t try to use a firework that malfunctions or doesn’t
light.
- Never ignite fireworks in a container, especially glass.
- Never allow children to carry fireworks in their pockets.
- Never put your face or any body part over fireworks.
- “Stop, drop and roll” is the rule if clothes catch on
fire.
- Fireworks should be stored in a cool, dry place out of reach of children.
Parents need to recognize that any time they allow their children to
buy or use fireworks, they are taking on a certain level of risk. Even
parental supervision does not guarantee that injuries will not occur.
Studies collecting information on adult supervision and its effect on
injuries found that 54 percent of children injured seriously enough to
be taken to an emergency room were being supervised by an adult at the
time of the accident.
Strategies that rely on human action and vigilance are prone to failure.
Adults can become distracted in festive settings, and children may not
always follow adult instructions.
High-tech advances in fireworks technology have made increasingly brilliant
displays possible for small communities across the country. So when you’re
making plans to celebrate the Fourth of July this year, you can combine
safe and spectacular by attending a public fireworks display.
REFERENCES:
American Academy of Pediatrics, “Fireworks–Related
Injuries in Children,” Pediatrics, July 2001.
“Fireworks–Related Injuries–Marion County, Indiana,
1986–1991,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 26,
1992.
“Injuries from Fireworks in the United States,” JAMA, July
19, 2000.
“Serious Eye Injuries Associated with Fireworks–United States,
1990-1994,” JAMA, July 12, 1995.
Gary A. Smith et al, “The Rockets’ Red Glare, The Bombs Bursting
in Air: Fireworks-Related Injuries in Children,” Pediatrics, July
1996.
Claire Wallerstein, “Christmas Firework “Sweets” Kill
Hundreds of Children,” British Medical Journal, November 6, 1999.
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