Fireworks Injure 4,000 Kids Each Year

WASHINGTON, July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Each year, more than 4,000 children ages 14 and under are treated in U.S. emergency rooms for injuries involving fireworks, with most of the injuries occurring in the few weeks before and after the Fourth of July. Children ages 5 to 9 have the highest rate of injury from fireworks.

"Don't let kids play with fireworks, period," says Alan Korn, Director of Public Policy at Safe Kids Worldwide. "They're intended for use by adults in open spaces, with plenty of active supervision for every child present."

Safe Kids recommends leaving fireworks to the professionals, but if parents want to enjoy legal fireworks they should know that children should never touch fireworks, even sparklers. "What parents probably don't realize is that sparklers burn at around 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sparks can catch a child's clothes on fire, cause other burns and eye injuries," Kornsaid.

Fireworks safety tips

Safe Kids Worldwide recommends these precautions for adults using fireworks:

-- Light fireworks only on smooth, flat surfaces, and aim them away from buildings, dry leaves, flammable materials and spectators. Take extra precautions in areas that have had little rain.

-- Do not try to relight fireworks that malfunction.

-- Do not carry fireworks in your pocket or hold them close to your face.

-- Keep a fire extinguisher handy and know how to use it.

Finally, as in any activity involving hazardous equipment, keep all children under active supervision with your undivided attention focused on them when they're anywhere near fireworks. "Actually, the safest way to enjoy fireworks is to watch them at a community event where professionals handle them," Korn said.

Summer is most dangerous time of year for kids

Even though summertime is viewed as fun and carefree, parents need to be vigilant about kids' safety in the pool, on bikes and in many other areas throughout the summer. An average of 17 children a day, or 2,143 children in total, died from May 1 - Aug. 31, 2004, due to injuries, many of which could have been prevented. Also in 2004, 2.4 million children made emergency room visits due to accidental injuries, many of which resulted in paralysis, brain damage and other serious disabilities.

Previous Safe Kids Worldwide research indicates that five of the most common causes of children's accidental injury deaths in summer are:

-- Drowning (increases 89 percent in the summer over the annual monthly average)

-- Biking (increases 45 percent)

-- Falls (increases 21 percent)

-- Motor vehicle passenger injuries (increases 20 percent)

-- Pedestrian injuries (increases 16 percent).

In fact, almost 60 percent of total children's accidental injury deaths from May to August from 2001 to 2004 came from these risk areas, according to The Safe Kids U.S. Summer Safety Ranking Report released in May by Safe Kids Worldwide. The report, which was funded by Safe Kids' founding sponsor Johnson & Johnson and conducted by the nonprofit Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, demonstrates a 17.6 percent drop in children's accidental injury deaths in summer across the nation (comparing data from 1997-1999 to 2002-2004), yet children's accidental injury deaths continue to spike in the summer.

Safe Kids Worldwide recommends the following steps to help reduce accidental injury and death to children during the summer months:

-- Enact child safety legislation such as four-sided fencing around home pools and booster seat requirements;

-- Educate adults and children about the right precautions to take. For example, a properly-fitted helmet has proven to reduce the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent;

-- Use safety devices, such as installing window guards on each window above the first floor to reduce the risk of falls; and