Safety should be a top priority when shooting fireworks during the July Fourth holiday. Practicing fireworks safety begins with knowing what kind of fireworks you are buying and knowing the source, said a University of Missouri safety specialist.
“Never buy fireworks from an individual’s house or from someone on the street,” said Karen Funkenbusch.
Fireworks regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission are packaged in bright colors and have safety warnings on the package, she said.
A label gives the country of origin, which is usually China. Illegal explosives are often unpackaged and wrapped in plain brown paper. They are unlikely to have any safety warnings or place of manufacture.
Many are made in basements or illegal factories. They go by names such as M-80, quarter stick or cherry bomb, according to the National Safety Council.
Regulated consumer fireworks, if used according to their instructions, are safer, Funkenbusch said. Injuries from consumer fireworks have shown dramatic decrease over the last 20 years, despite increased usage. In 2006, more than 250 million pounds of consumer fireworks entered the U.S. from China, an all-time high.
Some forms of fireworks are allowed in 45 states. Typical consumer fireworks include fountains, cones, sparklers, firecrackers and bottle rockets; all can be dangerous.
Dr. John Cowden, chair of the department of ophthalmology at University of Missouri Health Care’s Mason Eye Institute, has seen several patients in University Hospital’s emergency room with fireworks-related injuries to their eyes. Cowden said that bottle rockets cause most of the eye injuries that he treats, followed by firecrackers, pinwheels and Roman candles.
“In my experience, bottle rockets by far cause more injuries than any other firework,” said Cowden. “They have the potential to strike anyone as they fly through the air and then explode. As the name implies, people will sometimes place them in some sort of bottle to launch them, where they can fall down inside the bottle and explode, sending shards of glass and debris flying that can also strike the eye.”
Other injuries are often caused by inappropriate use of fireworks. Premature detonation of a firework thrown by hand can cause skin burns and hearing damage, along with eye injuries. Even sparklers, which seem innocent enough, can cause injury if they are not used properly.