Consumer Safety Commission: Fireworks Injuries Soar in July

AUGUSTA, GA. – According to a news story reported online at wjbf.com, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) indicates that injuries related to fireworks see a major increase in July. The CPSC says that close to 300 people present to emergency rooms every day during the month of July because of fireworks injuries.*

Fireworks cause about 280 people to visit emergency rooms in the U.S. every day during July, according to the CPSC. Dr. Beretta Coffman, of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, says that fireworks injuries and other types of injuries are far more common around Independence Day. 

“People are injured in multiple ways during this celebratory time, but often, alcohol is involved in the injuries,” Coffman said. 

Coffman indicated that hand injuries are what she sees most on and surrounding the holiday. Many of these hand injuries can be very serious, she said. 

“It is not uncommon for people to lose their fingers secondary to a firework injury,” she said. 

Approximately 7,000 people receive treatment every year in the United States for fireworks injuries. A lot of those people are kids. Doctors advise that parents restrict fireworks with children, as even something like a sparkler can cause injuries. Sparklers burn at a heat well over 1,000 degrees, and they stay hot for a long period of time. 

“Typically, once people have used the sparklers, they will set it on the ground,” Coffman said. “That’s another opportunity for kids to walk over a hot wire.” 

Coffman recommends that parents give their children glowsticks during the evening, instead of potentially dangerous sparklers. 

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