The Fourth of July holiday is generally a fun time for Americans as they celebrate the country’s birthday, but if you’re one of the thousands injured every year in fireworks accidents, the holiday can quickly turn into a nightmare.
More than 1,000 people were injured in firecracker accidents, the agency reported but sparklers accounted for a large number of injuries in children.
Every year, thousands of people are admitted to hospital emergency rooms with fireworks-related injuries, and almost half of those are burns, according to a study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
In the two weeks before and after the Fourth of July last year, 5,600 people were treated in emergency rooms for pyrotechnic injuries -- 36% of them were children under 15, the CPSC said, and half of all injuries occurred in those under 20.
Hands and fingers sustained the largest number of injuries at 28%, followed by legs at 24%, then eye injuries at 19%.
"One in seven injuries from fireworks is to the eye and at least a quarter of those can cause permanent vision loss. People can lose their finger, clothing can ignite," Dr. Samir Doshi, with St. Luke's Health System in Kansas City, Missouri, told KMBC-TV.
Parents don’t realize that sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees, hot enough to burn metal, the CPSC said.
“You would not give your kid a blowtorch, so I don't think I would recommend you give your kid a sparkler either," Doshi said.
But the CPSC does offer tips on how to safely enjoy fireworks over the 4th:
- Don't allow young children to play with or set off fireworks
- Make sure adults supervise family firework displays
- Always make sure you're a safe distance away after lighting a firework
- Don't try to relight or pick up a firework that did not ignite
- Don't point or throw fireworks at another person
- Keep a bucket of water handy, in case of fire or an accident
- Avoid buying fireworks packaged in brown paper because it's a sign they were made for professional displays
- Make sure fireworks are legal in your state before buying them