The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that about 8,800 people were treated in emergency rooms in 2002 for injuries associated with fireworks. Most injuries involved the hands, head, and eyes. Lee Duffner, M.D., an ophthalmologist in Hollywood, Fla., says, "Unfortunately, I've treated burns of the cornea and eyelids and hemorrhages inside the eye caused by hand-held sparklers and other fireworks."
Mary Mondozzi, a nurse at the Akron Children's Hospital Burn Center, says she also sees burns from grills and campfires. "Children get hurt playing around grills or they get burned when they throw objects into campfires," she says.
What You Can Do
Stick with public firework displays handled by professionals. Children should always be closely supervised when food is being cooked indoors or outdoors. Be aware that gas leaks, blocked tubes, and overfilled propane tanks cause most gas grill fires and explosions. "Teach children to cover their faces, stop, drop, and roll if their clothes catch fire," Mondozzi says.Generally, minor burns smaller than a person's palm can be treated at home. But burns bigger than that, and burns on the hands, feet, face, genitals, and major joints usually require emergency treatment. "For a minor injury, run cool water over it and cover it with a clean, dry cloth," says Mondozzi. Don't apply ice, which can worsen a burn. Don't apply petroleum jelly or butter, which can hold heat in the tissue. Consult your family doctor if a minor burn does not heal in a couple of days or if there are signs of infection, such as redness and swelling.
More from the Summer Safety Primer:
- Avoiding Bee Stings
- Avoiding Burns From Fireworks and Grills
- Avoiding Foodborne Poisoning in the Summer
- Avoiding Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion
- Bites From Mosquitoes and Ticks
- Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac
- Poisoning in Children
- Avoiding and Treating Sunburn
