The numbers are clear: Fireworks are dangerous, despite being advertised as toys. You may think you know how to handle them safely. But playing with fireworks can blind you.
Eight people died and close to 10,000 were seriously injured in 2023 in the United States alone, according to the most recent fireworks injury report (PDF) from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Bystanders, especially children, are at high risk of injury. Even children and people NOT handling fireworks may be in as much danger as the people actually lighting fireworks.
Summer is an especially risky time: Most fireworks injuries happen between mid-June and mid-July.
This year, leave fireworks to the professionals. All users and bystanders should wear eye protection that meets the criteria set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
If you attend a fireworks show, follow the tips below to protect your eyes.
Most fireworks deaths result from unsafe handling. But even correct use can kill or injure well-meaning and safety-minded people. Fireworks can misfire, discharge in the wrong direction or ignite all at once in a massive, uncontrollable explosion.
Simple mistakes, like holding a firework at a wrong angle, have killed users and bystanders by shooting the explosive in an unexpected direction. Mortar launch malfunctions killed eight people in separate events in 2022. A quick-match fireworks fuse killed and nearly decapitated one man the year before.
Regardless of how careful you are, flaws in equipment and explosives are a leading cause of fireworks injuries and deaths — and more people are harmed every year.
Even legally purchased fireworks can have unsafe — even illegal — contents. This can cause fireworks to malfunction and kill or injure people nearby, despite proper handling. In fact, most injuries occur with legal fireworks.
Nearly half of the publicly sold fireworks examined by CPSC’s Office of Compliance and Field Operations in 2022 contained dangerously modified fuses, banned chemicals or unsafe levels of explosive materials.
Sparklers can be especially dangerous, as they burn at more than 2,000 degrees Farenheit. Sparklers were responsible for 700 fireworks injuries in the latest report, and a sparkler mishap caused one of the fireworks deaths reported in 2017. Children are often allowed to play with sparklers because these fireworks are considered relatively harmless. But that couldn't be farther from the truth.
Children and young adults are frequent victims of serious fireworks injuries. Children age 15 and under accounted for about one-third of the total injuries, according to the commission's report. Teenagers 15 to 19 years old were most likely to require emergency treatment for fireworks injuries. Firecrackers were the top cause of injury, sending more than 800 people to the emergency room.
The most recent Consumer Product Safety Commission report found that 19% of fireworks injuries were eye injuries. In the most severe cases, fireworks can rupture the globe of the eye, cause chemical and thermal burns, corneal abrasions and retinal detachment — all of which can cause permanent eye damage and vision loss.
Fireworks-related eye injuries can combine blunt force trauma, heat burns and chemical exposure. An eye injury from fireworks is a medical emergency. Call 911 or seek immediate medical care. In the meantime, follow these guidelines:
The best way to avoid a potentially blinding fireworks injury is by attending a professional fireworks show rather than purchasing fireworks for home use.
If you decide to use consumer fireworks in states where they are legal, follow these safety tips from the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
Source: American Academy of Ophthalmology
