Every year, as many as 12,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms due to fireworks injuries. Eighty percent of eye injuries from fireworks occur during the Independence Day holiday.
"Fireworks can be very dangerous, particularly to eyes," says UAB pediatric ophthalmologist Martin Cogen, M.D. "It's best to leave fireworks to professionals." Even sparklers can reach temperatures of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Follow these safety rules if you just have to shoot off your own fireworks: obey the manufacturers instructions, keep a bucket of water handy, never try to re-light duds, avoid fireworks with missing or odd labels -- they may be illegally made -- and never allow children to play with fireworks unsupervised by an adult.
Contact Bob Shepard, Media Relations, 205-934-8934 or [email protected].
RSS