The Fourth of July is upon us and, with it, no shortage fireworks—and the injuries that come with them. If you work in emergency care, you have likely already seen quite a few patients with burns, loss of fingers, or worse.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 9,100 Americans were treated in U.S. emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in 2018. Of these injuries, which most commonly included burns to the hands, fingers, and arms, about 62% of them occurred around the Fourth of July. That is roughly 190 injuries per day between June 22 and July 22.
Of these injuries, most occurred among children aged 10 to 14, and for children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for more than half of the total estimated injuries.
“Each year, too many emergency room doctors see too many fireworks-related injuries. Don’t make the emergency room part of your holiday; don’t let children play with fireworks,” Dr. Sarah Combs, an emergency room doctor from Children’s National Medical Center, said in a statement released by the CPSC.
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