(Newswire.net — April 21, 2017) — Many Americans have fond memories of fireworks when they were growing up. On late summer nights, there was nothing better than running around with a sparkler and watching the sky light up. On the other hand, many also remember those same sparklers burning their fingers and making them miserable well into the late night hours.
Sparklers and bottle rockets might seem completely harmless and just part of the whole American celebration, but they are responsible for a considerable number of accidents and burn injuries across the US. Many states have put stringent rules into effect regulating the use of fireworks, while others remain very lax. It isn’t just about injuries and burns; fireworks are responsible for a significant number of deaths each year.
According to the results of a burn injury lawsuit, those most susceptible to injuries are people under the age of 20 who don’t take the proper precautions. Using fireworks without adult supervision can end in disaster, according to new research on firework dangers and habits. Many states have begun to relax the fireworks rules over the past decade. And as they decrease the regulation of them, they see an increase in emergencies and injuries among young children and adults.
Statistics show that between 2006 and 2012, the number of accidents ending in emergency care due to fireworks rose as much as 1%. Although that doesn’t seem like a significant number, those who went to the ER and had to stay in the hospital due to their injury severity rose from 29% to 50% during the same timeframe.
The truth is that many different factors might be at play, so making a direct link between legislation and injuries is difficult. It is a huge coincidence, however, that as laws have been pulled back, injuries have started to climb and their severity has grown exponentially.
Since 2000, investigators have found that the restriction of fireworks statewide has been relaxed. States like New York went from banning fireworks altogether to allowing things like sparklers and other “novelty” fireworks to be sold at the local Walmart or grocery store. Currently, only New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Delaware still have a complete ban on fireworks, including novelty items that are anything but safe.
What the researchers found is that when laws are repealed or bans lifted, there wasn’t an immediate sharp rise in injuries, but when the long-term numbers are reviewed, the increases are incremental and significant. What is apparent is that as fireworks began to be regulated more stringently, injuries sharply declined.
The fireworks industry appears to have circumvented the bans by making novelty items that have explosive qualities more “acceptable” and by marketing them with very little precaution about how serious they are. Many parents don’t have a clue about what can happen with something as small as a popper. They might not lead to death, but the harm that they can cause is real.
Opponents to making stricter fireworks laws insist that the researchers didn’t study fireworks on a real “scale,” meaning that they didn’t take into account things like the amount of fireworks per pound, or when the injuries were to individual consumers or commercial fireworks users. Most of the really deadly injuries happen when the fireworks are being used legally by municipalities or city-level employees, not the average Fourth of July partygoer who is using things like sparklers.
Whether novelty fireworks or other kinds should be banned is a major question in America. What is not at question is that there should be more warning labels placed on the smaller “novelties” that are sold in the stores. Unless the states decide together to ban fireworks, people will just travel across state lines to get what they want. Videos on YouTube and social media aren’t helping youngsters who want the attention, either. For now, making parents aware of the dangers of fireworks is probably where most efforts should be focused. You can’t legislate good decisions, and unless all states are on board, changing fireworks laws probably won’t do much to stop negligence and stupidity, especially in children 20 and younger.