When It Comes to Fireworks, Leave the Shows to the Pros

An estimated 10,800 injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2005.

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
Wednesday, July 4, 2007; 12:00 AM

Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

TUESDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- Sparklers seem innocent enough, as delighted children twirl them about, creating light trails in the warm summer darkness.

But in truth, they are extremely dangerous.

Sparklers burn at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and shoot off sparks. In the month surrounding the Fourth of July 2005, they accounted for almost half the injuries to children younger than 5 years of age, and proved as dangerous as bottle rockets, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.

"Many people don't even think of those as fireworks, but they cause as many injuries as things like bottle rockets," said Dr. Sandra S. Block, a professor with the Illinois College of Optometry and a member of the Pediatric Advisory Committee of Prevent Blindness America.

As the Fourth of July approaches, doctors and medical experts are stepping up their warnings about fireworks.

"There is no such thing as safe fireworks," said Sarah Hecker, spokeswoman for Prevent Blindness America. "You see places that sell 'safe and sane fireworks,' but even the safest ones can cause injury. These things are just dangerous."

Experts have suggested for years that parents find safe alternatives for their children. But statistics show that few heed the warnings.

Fireworks caused an estimated 10,800 injuries to be treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2005, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That was up 1,200 from 2004, when the commission estimated there were 9,600 injuries. And the number of injuries has been rising steadily since 1996.

"Every time you talk to someone who's been injured, you hear the same thing -- 'I've been using bottle rockets for years without a problem,' " Hecker said.

The threat of injury intensifies during the month surrounding the Fourth of July, when fireworks are more available. An estimated 6,500 fireworks-related injuries were treated in emergency rooms between June 18 and July 18 in 2005.

"Around the Fourth, there's a real push to get fireworks out in people's hands," Block said. "This is dangerous and should not be done in the backyard."