Friday may be July 4th, when firecrackers will be exploding all over the area. But you should think twice before picking up that box of sparklers at the grocery store -- and don't even give the Roman candles or firecrackers a second look.
"They are neither safe nor sane," said Bruce Cairns, a burns specialist with the UNC School of Medicine and medical director of the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals.
His comments echo the motto of the National Fire Protection Agency, whose Web site calls fireworks the riskiest consumer product.
What's worse, said Cairns, an associate professor in the medical school's surgery department, is that children are most often injured by firework-related accidents.
"We tell kids not to play with lighters, not to play with fire, but it's OK to play with this? It just doesn't make sense to us," Cairns said. "It's really unclear what benefit there is to using a pyrotechnic device as a toy."
The American Burn Association reports that close to 10,000 people suffer from fireworks injuries every year. According to the NFPA, the risk of fireworks injury was two-and-a-half times higher for children between the ages of 10 and 14 than for the general population.
Cairns said the statistics don't lie. Every year several people are admitted to the Jaycee Burn Center and many others are treated in the emergency department after the Fourth of July for fireworks-related burns. "It's always kids, and more males than females," he said.
The most dangerous fireworks are also the most common. NFPA figures show firecrackers, sparklers and Roman candles accounted for more than 50 percent of all fireworks-related injuries in 2006.
These so-called "household" fireworks can reach temperatures exceeding 1,200 degrees -- several hundred degrees hotter than a match flame. The intense energy that creates the exciting effect of a firework or sparkler translates into very high temperatures and bad burns, Cairns said.
"People are just not aware of how dangerous they really are. If they knew, they wouldn't want to take a chance with it," said Cairns. Even though the data is compelling, Cairns thinks awareness of fireworks danger is not at the level it needs to be.
"Don't buy them, don't play with them, don't light them," is the best advice Cairns said he can give.
Most towns have good professional fireworks displays and Cairns suggests families attend these for their annual Independence Day festivities. The local town-sponsored fireworks display will be at Kenan Stadium Friday evening.
Gates 5 and 6 open at 7 p.m. on the stadium's south side. Live music begins at 8 p.m. with local dignitaries providing an official welcome. There also will be children's face painting and clowns before the fireworks. Time Warner Cable's Bugs Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil will greet the first 3,000 people with free glow necklaces.
The fireworks are scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m.
"Leave it to professionals," Cairns advised. "Make it a community affair."
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Some fireworks tips:
-- Only adults should light fireworks. It sends mixed messages when kids are told not to play with matches and lighters, but are given permission to when it comes to fireworks.
-- Always light fireworks in a wide-open space, not near homes, dry grass or other objects that could catch fire.
-- Always have a water hose available when lighting fireworks to extinguish any fires that may start.
-- Never attempt to re-light fireworks that have not exploded -- they may do so in one's hand or face.
-- Know how to treat a burn should an injury occur. Cool the burn with cool water (not ice), wrap in a clean, dry dressing and seek medical attention.
-- Never mix fireworks and alcohol. To see more of The Herald-Sun, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.herald-sun.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2008 The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.