3 fireworks-related injuries that land people in the emergency room

Nothing says July 4th like fireworks. Technicolor explosives are every kid’s favorite part of the celebration – and many adults’ favorite too. They are fascinating to observe from a safe distance, but pose a serious danger if you stand too close or misuse them.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 9,700 people were sent to emergency rooms in the United States due to fireworks injuries in 2023, and eight people died. The number of fireworks-related injuries increased overall between 2008 and 2023, and peaked in 2020, when the pandemic led to the cancellation of many public professional fireworks shows.

According to the CPSC, the most commonly injured body parts in 2023 were the hands and fingers (35%), head, face and ears (22%), and eyes (19%). The age groups most likely to be seen in the emergency room for fireworks injuries were teens ages 15 to 19 and children ages 5 to 9.

We spoke with two doctors about the most common fireworks injuries and how to prevent them.

Burns

The CPSC report found that 42% of emergency room visits for fireworks-related injuries involved burns.

“Burns usually occur on the hands or face,” Dr. Nick Poulos, director of trauma and chief of pediatric surgery at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, told HuffPost.

“Burns are usually flash injuries and are usually not very serious,” he said, although that doesn’t mean they aren’t painful. If your child has a burn that doesn’t seem serious, Poulos recommends cooling it with cold water.

“Then, if the pain persists, it would be time to go to the emergency room.”

Injuries caused by explosion

Blast injuries, which cause tissue damage, “can be very serious and debilitating,” Poulos said.

“Explosives become more dangerous the more compact they are,” he said. So if a child holds on tightly to a firework that then explodes, “the tissues can’t escape very quickly, which makes the exposure much worse.”

Blast injuries will require an emergency room visit.

But not all types of fireworks are capable of causing that kind of explosion. Sparklers “don’t have an explosive component,” Poulos explained. They’re placed on the end of a stick, which gives you a buffer, and “the amount of gunpowder is much smaller,” he added.

While any type of firework can cause injury, children are less likely to be injured by sparklers. The CPSC report states that there were about 700 injuries from sparklers brought to emergency rooms in 2023, out of a total of 9,700 injuries. Bottle rockets caused another 800 injuries. Other types of explosive fireworks were responsible for the remaining majority of injuries. Any type of projectile or firework shot into the air can injure either the person lighting it or a bystander.

Eye injuries

Eye injuries are a major concern when it comes to fireworks, as they can cause visual damage, sometimes permanent.

Eye injuries vary in severity, Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, a Los Angeles-based ophthalmologist, told HuffPost. But any significant eye injury requires medical attention.

A common and less serious injury involves the outer part of the eye called the cornea. Boxer Wechler said even a minor abrasion or scratch can still cause a lot of discomfort.

“Even though it’s really small, there are so many nerves, it’s incredibly painful,” he said of the cornea. While these injuries often heal within a few days, it’s important to see a specialist because of the risk of infection and scarring. The impact of scarring can range from “a small distortion of vision to a very high degree of visual impairment, depending on the scar,” Boxer Wechler said.

In more serious injuries, a firework penetrates the cornea and damages deeper layers of the eye.

“It can cause cataracts, it can cause retinal detachment. And it could be very high degrees of visual impairment, even blindness,” Boxer Wechler said. Depending on the severity of the injury, he explained, treatment may involve a “bandage-type contact lens,” antibiotic drops, steroids or even surgery.

Boxer Wechler noted that all of these injuries can be avoided by using protective eyewear.

If you’re considering using fireworks, here’s what you need to know

Doctors have recommended the following safety precautions when using fireworks with children to avoid injury.

1. Supervision by a non-drinking adult. Poulos said children who are ready to be left home alone are probably ready to use fireworks under supervision, around age 12 or 13. “Every child who lights a firework should be supervised by an adult,” Boxer Wachler said. Calling alcohol and fireworks a “bad mix,” Poulos said it’s important that the supervising adult stays sober.

2. Protective glasses. “The most protective type of lens is polycarbonate,” Boxer Wechler said. “It’s an unbreakable material.” Think of the safety glasses you wore in chemistry class. If you don’t have any on hand, a pair of sunglasses is a good second option, though they’re not unbreakable. While it’s rare to see people wearing safety glasses while lighting fireworks, Boxer Wechler pointed out that it used to be rare to find seat belts in cars, and that a change in standards is always possible.

3. A safe distance. For any fireworks that are set off in the sky, “everyone needs to be at least 50 feet away from where they’re being set off, because the risk is to the public as well as the person lighting them,” Poulos said. He added that you should never hold these types of fireworks in your hand, but instead use a glow stick, or “punk,” that will give you some distance. The firework “needs to be in a stable position, and it needs to be lit with one of these punks, so that you’re not near the fireworks when they go off,” Poulos said. To avoid starting a fire, he added, fireworks should be set off on an asphalt or cement surface, not aimed at a home or wooded area.

4. A bucket of water or a garden hose. Sparklers can be placed in a bucket of water to be extinguished. Water should be immediately available in case something catches fire. If a firework does not light or go off properly, do not handle it or attempt to relight it.

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