No Fireworks Are Safe; Even “Innocent” Sparklers Can Cause Serious Injuries

Chapel Hill – June 25, 2018 – The 4^th of July is known for its backyard BBQs, fireworks, and fun celebrations. However, keep in mind that fireworks injuries cause approximately 11,000 visits to the emergency department each year, over 30% of them involve children.¹ Though the most disabling injuries occur with illegal firecrackers, most injuries are caused by legal fireworks parents buy for their children, such as sparklers, firecrackers, bottle rockets, and Roman candles.

In 2016, 69% of the emergency department-treated injuries related to fireworks were burns. Burns were the most common injury to all parts of the body, except the eyes, where cuts and bruises and foreign bodies in the eye occurred more frequently. To help reduce the number of burn injuries and potentially blinding fireworks accidents this holiday, the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center Burn Prevention Program and UNC Kittner Eye Center are working to share important information about fireworks injuries.

Here are five fireworks facts you should know:

1. Sparklers are NOT safe for young children. Sparklers burn at 1,800 degrees, hot enough to melt some metals. Sparklers are responsible for most of the injuries to children age 5 and younger.¹
2. It’s not necessarily safer to view consumer fireworks than it is to light or throw them. Bystanders are injured by fireworks as often as fireworks operators.
3. Consumer fireworks are not always safe. Sparklers and firecrackers each account for 1,400 injuries to the eyes. The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (an estimated 33%); head, face, and ears (an estimated 20%); legs (an estimated 18%); eyes (an estimated 9%); and arms (an estimated 8%).¹
4. It is not safe to pick up a firework after it has been lit. Even though it looks like a dud, it may not act like one.
5. The Fourth of July can still be a “blast” without using consumer fireworks. The safest way to view fireworks is to watch a professional show.

If you experience a fireworks injury related to a burn, the doctors at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Health Care urge you to treat the burn immediately by doing the following:

• Remove all clothing, jewelry, or anything that can hold in heat off the body.
• Cool the burn approximately 3-5 minutes with cool (not cold) water.
• Do not use ice, Vitamin E or other home remedies as this may make the injury worse.
• If it is a small burn, about the size of a quarter, wash gently with soap and water daily. Then apply a small amount of triple antibiotic ointments such as Bacitracin to the area and cover with a bandage until healed.
• You should seek medical attention if the burn is larger than the size of a quarter, is over a joint or has occurred over the eyes, ears, hands, or feet.
• You should also seek medical attention if the burn has a beefy red appearance and is causing extreme pain, or may have a waxy white appearance of any size with no pain in the burned area.

If you experience a fireworks injury, ophthalmologists urge you to minimize the damage to the eye by doing the following:

• Seek medical attention immediately.
• Do not rub the eye. Rubbing may make the injury worse.
• Do not attempt to rinse the eye.
• Do not apply pressure to the eye.
• Do not remove objects from the eye,
• Do not apply ointments or take pain medications before seeking medical help.

To help ensure people get the facts about fireworks, the American Academy of Ophthalmology created an animated public service announcement titled “Fireworks: The Blinding Truth.”

About North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Health Care

The North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center combines the expertise of multiple UNC specialists with the state-of-the-art facilities and technologies to UNC Health Care to provide patients with the very best in high quality and compassionate care. Our mission does not stop with treating just the visible injuries of the burn patient; it goes well beyond the physical to providing occupational therapy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, pastoral support, Aftercare and laser treatment of scars.

Through our commitment to research and training, we strive to obtain the most recent, up-to-date clinical treatment for our burn patients. The North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center’s Burn Prevention Program is dedicated to sharing burn management, burn prevention and general information regarding the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center.

Kittner Eye Center

Each year more than 45,000 patients choose Kittner Eye Center for routine eye examinations as well as specialty eye care services. The Kittner Eye Center is staffed by highly trained ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses, clinical technicians and other support personnel representing all sub-specialties of ophthalmology. The Kittner Eye Center is dedicated to the comfort, convenience, and well-being of each patient, and to provide the very best in state-of-the-art eye care.