Injuries from Fireworks

Abstract

In 1983, there were more than 8,200 victims of fireworks-related injuries treated in US emergency rooms. Half of those injured were children less than 15 years of age, and 11% of the injuries resulted in hospitalization. The eyes are the body part most often injured, followed by hands and fingers. Burns account for the majority of injuries. Every type of fireworks legally available has resulted in serious injury or death. Firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers contribute to the most hospitalizations. States that allow a wide variety of fireworks to be sold for personal use have a rate of fireworks-related fires 50 times greater than states that strictly limit the availability of fireworks. The rate of fireworks-related injuries is more than seven times greater in the less restrictive states.