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

(Page 2)

During that one-month period in 2005, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

• Children under 15 accounted for 45 percent of the injuries. When the age was raised to children and young adults under 20, they accounted for 55 percent of all injuries.
• Firecrackers were to blame for the greatest number of injuries -- 1,700. Rockets and sparklers were next -- 1,100 injuries each.
• The body parts most often injured were the hands, with about 2,000 injuries; the eyes, 1,600 injuries; and the head, face and ear -- 1,300 injuries.
• More than half of the injuries were burns. In fact, burns were the most common injury to all parts of the body except the eyes, where cuts and contusions were the norm.

Children love the glitz and flash of fireworks, but there are safer alternatives, doctors said.

"There are so many ways you can celebrate the Fourth that are safer than fireworks," Hecker said.

For example, Block recommends replacing sparklers with glow sticks, glow necklaces or novelty flashlights. "Pick something that's safe versus something that's dangerous," she said.

If you live in the right areas of the country, you can enlist kids' help in catching nature's alternative to fireworks -- a jarful of fireflies, Block said.

And the loud bang of fireworks can be replaced with burst balloons or paper bags, or with safe novelty noisemakers from a party store. Parents with an added dose of patience can also let their kids bang pots and pans from the kitchen, or let them run loose with horns, whistles, bells and cymbals, the experts suggested.

A Fourth of July party for kids can include a number of fun and safe activities, according to Prevent Blindness America. These include:

• Letting little ones make decorations with crepe paper, construction paper, stickers and glue.
• Planning food-making activities like patriotic pizzas and desserts.
• Getting the kids to decorate T-shirts or hats with paint and decals that glow in the dark. By the time nightfall rolls around, their new night-bright clothes will be dry and ready to model.

Finally, there's no substitute for the real thing, so head to a professional fireworks display. "Take the family as a group to observe it, and let the licensed professionals handle the show," Block said.

And be sure to warn your children about attending neighbors' displays, where most injuries occur to bystanders.

More information

For more on fireworks safety, visit the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.