Risk of burns is reality

Mid-June to mid-July busiest time for fireworks injuries, CDC says

You know the saying, "Play with fire and you'll get burned." Yet each Fourth of July, we light sparklers and load up bottle rockets.

Last year, 22 patients were treated at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, the nearest adult burn center to Charleston, for injuries sustained during July Fourth festivities.

Half of those injuries were directly related to fireworks. The rest were accidents involving campfires and barbecuing on gas and charcoal grills.

"We anticipate a few more this year," said Dr. Fred Mullins, president of Joseph M. Still Burn Centers Inc., which has clinics in Atlanta, Jackson, Miss., and Trident Medical Center in North Charleston.

Although fireworks are illegal in the city of Charleston, except for sparklers, the fire department normally sees a spike in firework-related fires, said Mark Ruppel, public information officer

More than two thirds of all fireworks-related injuries occur between June 16 and July 16, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And one out of three of those injuries happens to children under age 15.

"Do not allow young children to play with fireworks under any circumstances," Mullins said. Even sparklers, which many people consider safe, burn at high temperatures and can easily ignite clothing or hair, he said.

Children have shorter arms and are at greater risk, he said. Sparkler injuries accounted for one-third of all firework injuries in children 5 years old or younger, according to the National Council on Fireworks Safety.

Hand burns are common in children who let the sparkler burn down, Mullins said. Adults need to be mindful of children and their surroundings. Every year, the center treats people who light fireworks near accelerants, such as gasoline, igniting the fumes and causing an explosion.

Another danger is people trying to hold bottle rockets, he said. The fuses burn quickly, and they explode as people prepare to throw them.

"A lot of it is common sense," he said.