July 4th Fireworks Lead to More than 6,000 ER Visits More than
6,000 Americans Spent 4th of July in Emergency Rooms Due to
Fireworks-related Injuries -Prevent Blindness America Urges
Public to Celebrate Independence Day Safely, Without Using
Fireworks- CHICAGO (June 15, 2012)– While many Americans were
enjoying Independence Day festivities with family and friends,
in 2010 an estimated 6,300 Americans spent part of their Fourth
of July holiday in the emergency room due to fireworks injuries,
according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Fireworks Annual Reportissued in 2011. The report also found
that children under 15 years of age accounted for approximately
40 percent of the estimated injuries. And, children under the
age of 5 experienced an estimated 700 injuries. For that
specific age group, sparklers accounted for 43 percent of the
total injuries. In fact, fireworks sometimes referred to as
“safe and sane” including sparklers, fountains and other
novelties, made up 2 out of 5 injuries tr