Fireworks are an Independence Day tradition: colorful, booming, thrilling. When people think of fireworks-related injuries, thoughts often gravitate to illegal fireworks such as M-80s, M-100s, cherry bombs, and silver salutes, among others.
Legal fireworks such as firecrackers, bottle rockets, and roman candles might come to mind, too. (Fireworks laws vary from state to state and municipality to municipality.) And then there’s the occasional incident at a professional fireworks display that grabs headlines.
Unfortunately, sparklers are often overlooked or downplayed as potential hazards and are frequently handed out to young children to celebrate. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, sparklers can burn from 1,200°F–2,000°F. That’s hot enough to melt a bunch of metals — and bad news for fingers, hands, faces, and eyes.
Over the last decade, 700 to 1,200 kids per year made detours to ERs due to sparkler injuries. Roughly 75% occurred in the July Fourth window: two weeks prior to two weeks after. To cite an extreme case, in 2017 a 4-year-old Wisconsin girl was killed when her dad placed several sparkler-type fireworks in a metal tube in an attempt to create a lawn fountain–like effect of sparks. Instead, the tube exploded, and shrapnel struck the girl.
Be careful with sparklers (FYI: Massachusetts bans sparklers; some municipalities do too):
- Use sparklers as intended; outdoors only.
- Don’t allow very young children to hold or get too close to sparklers.
- Closely supervise children up to age 12.
- Hold sparklers away from the body, one at a time, no running around.
- Don’t hold sparklers while barefoot or wearing open-toed footwear.
- Douse spent sparklers in water; dispose of them when cooled.
Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!
