HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — The fourth of July is a pretty popular time for fireworks, but it’s also the most common time of year for burn injuries. Local doctors at Patient First say they usually see an uptick in burns from sparklers around the holiday.
Sparklers are very popular for the fourth of July, but they can be dangerous. Medical staff say it’s important to get burn injuries checked out as soon as possible in case of infection.
Fireworks are pretty to look at and sparklers may be fun to hold, but they can be dangerous.
Eight people died from fireworks injuries in 2023, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, with 9,700 people treated in ERs for fireworks injuries, and nearly half treated for burns to hands and fingers.
Local Patient First physician’s assistant Miriam Gotthardt said they usually see an uptick in burn injuries around the fourth.
“The ones I can think of right off were someone just wasn’t paying attention and kind of got an incidental burn, stood too close,” Gotthardt said.
Statistics show teenagers ages 15 to 19 had the highest rate of ER-treated injuries, while kids 5 to 9 years old had the second highest rate.
“Young children should not really play with sparklers,” Gotthardt said. “They aren’t safe and they should have a bucket of cold water and a method that everyone who is going to be using sparklers is aware of how to put out the sparklers and how to dispose of it.”
Gotthardt said an infection is the main concern when it comes to a burn, especially when it’s blistering.
“Of course, an injury that involves an eye, or if it overlies a joint or if it’s pretty extensive, they definitely should be in the emergency room,” Gotthardt said.
In addition to having a bucket of water nearby, experts also recommend never using fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs, never trying to re-light malfunctioning fireworks and never pointing or throwing fireworks, including sparklers, at anyone.
And if you do get an incidental burn, here’s what treatment could look like for you:
“First you want to run it under cold water if it’s on an extremity, then it’s pain control, mainly, and prevent infection, so antibiotics if it’s indicated depending on where,” Gotthardt said.
Patient First is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday, including the 4th of July. For more safety tips from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, click here.
