Newswise — The best way to enjoy fireworks this Fourth of July is to leave them to the professionals and avoid using them at home, say physicians in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB).
The Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital is a co-sponsor of this year’s Thunder on the Mountain 4th of July Fireworks Extravaganza.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were an estimated 9,000 fireworks-related injuries treated in U. S. hospital emergency departments in 2009, an increase from the estimated 7,000 injuries in 2008. In the month of June and the days immediately surrounding July 4, there were an estimated 6,000 injuries related to fireworks, including blindness and other eye injuries.
If you decide to use fireworks yourself, follow these safety procedures to avoid injury, burns or blindness. • Always have an adult present.• Never allow young children to play with fireworks, even sparklers. Sparklers can reach 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt gold.• Never try to re-light fireworks that did not explode or ignite the first time.• Keep a bucket of water or fire extinguisher present in case of fire.• Light fireworks on a clean, flat surface away from the house or flammable materials.• Read and follow all manufacturer's warnings and instructions.• If there are no instructions or product labels, the item may have been made illegally and could be unsafe; illegal fireworks, which are made without the quality control standards of legal products, are extremely unpredictable.• In the event of eye injury, do not touch, rub or press on the injured eye; seek immediate care from an ophthalmologist or hospital emergency room.• Only light one item at a time. • Never throw fireworks at another person. • Never carry fireworks in your pocket. • Never shoot fireworks from metal or glass containers. • Never experiment, modify, or attempt to make your own fireworks.
Source: Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital at UAB. Ophthalmologists are available for interviews on eye safety. Call UAB media Relations, 934-3884.
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