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Eksplozije vatrometa, ozljede ruku eksplozijom i odlaganje otpada

Brojevi hitnih službi razlikuju se ovisno o zemlji. Ova stranica koristi 911, broj za Sjedinjene Države i Kanadu. Mnoge druge zemlje koriste 112, 999 ili neki drugi broj. Pronađite broj za svoju zemlju.

Potrošačka i komercijalna pirotehnika kombinira jake eksplozive u obliku bljeskavog praha, zračne pogonske tvari, boje teške metale i užarene metalne iskre u ručne kartonske cijevi. Svake godine tijekom nacionalnih proslava i festivala (kao što su Silvestrovo, Diwali, Lunarna Nova godina, Dan neovisnosti 4. srpnja, Dan Bastille i Noć Guya Fawkesa), tisuće odraslih i djece pate od trajne sljepoće, puknuća bubnjića, opeklina lica trećeg stupnja i katastrofalne amputacije ruke od eksplozije. Čak i naizgled bezopasne ručne žičane prskalice koje se daju maloj djeci izgaraju pomoću sastava magnezija, aluminija ili željeza sličnog termitu na temperaturama između 1000 i 1600 stupnjeva Celzijusa (1800 i 3000 stupnjeva Fahrenheita), što je dovoljno vruće da otapa staklo, zlato i aluminij i uzrokuje trenutnu punu debljinu (trećeg stupnja) opekline kože pri dodiru.

Još su ozbiljnije granate iz minobacača iz zraka, festivalske granate koje se mogu ponovno puniti, ilegalni pozdrav M-80 / četvrtinom palice i cijevne bombe ručne izrade koje prerano detoniraju u stisku osobe ili izravno ispred njezina lica. Kada zračna granata od 40 do 75 milimetara (1,5 do 3 inča) eksplodira u zatvorenoj šaci, nadzvučni udarni val i plinovi koji se šire hiperistežu palac i prste izvan njihovih strukturalnih granica, što rezultira klasičnom ozljedom "eksplozivne ruke": amputacijama palca i prstiju, rascjepima dlanova, otvorenim prijelomima metakarpusa i rasječenim digitalnim arterijama. Znati kako kontrolirati arterijsko krvarenje ruku i sačuvati odrezane prste na ledu bez smrzavanja, zašto nikada ne smijete trljati ili pritiskati ozljedu oka od vatrometa, kako ohladiti opekline od bijelog fosfora i metala i kako namočiti neispaljeni vatromet na siguran način sprječava trajni invaliditet i smrt.

Učinite to sada

  1. Odmah primijenite izravan pritisak ili komercijalni steznik u slučaju ozbiljne ozljede šake od eksplozije vatrometa. Čvrsto pritisnite debelu hrpu sterilne gaze ili čistog pamučnog ručnika na ruku koja krvari i podignite ruku iznad razine srca; ako jarko crvena krv i dalje curi iz zapešća ili podlaktice, stavite komercijalni steznik 5 do 7 centimetara (2 do 3 inča) iznad zapešća ili lakta i nazovite svoj lokalni broj hitne pomoći (911 u Sjedinjenim Državama i Kanadi, 112 diljem Europske unije, 999 u Ujedinjenom Kraljevstvu) ili provjerite hitne brojeve.
  2. Čuvajte amputirane prste ili segmente palca u vlažnoj gazi unutar zatvorene plastične vrećice postavljene na ledenu vodu. Nikada nemojte stavljati odsječene prste izravno na goli led ili ih uranjati izravno u tekuću vodu, koja smrzava ili nabubri mikroskopske krvne žile i sprječava kirurško ponovno spajanje.
  3. Ozljedu oka vatrometom zaštitite krutom zaštitnom čašom (kao što je dno papirnate čaše) i NIKADA ne trljajte niti pritiskajte. Ozljeda oka vatrometom često uključuje puknuće ili perforaciju očne jabučice (ozljeda otvorenog oka); pritiskom zavoja na oko istiskuje se unutarnji sadržaj iz rožnice i uzrokuje trajno sljepilo.
  4. Cool sparkler and gunpowder thermal burns under cool running tap water for 20 full minutes. Gently brush off dry loose powder first, then hold the burned hand, foot, or face under cool running water (15 degrees Celsius / 59 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 continuous minutes; never apply ice, butter, toothpaste, or ointments.
  5. NEVER walk up to, peek down into, or attempt to relight a misfired "dud" firework. Delayed smoldering inside the fuse channel or black-powder lift charge frequently detonates an aerial mortar shell 5 to 15 minutes after it appears to have gone out, striking anyone leaning over the tube squarely in the face.
  6. Wait at least 20 minutes before approaching a misfired firework, then submerge it completely in a bucket of water overnight. Use long-handled tongs or a shovel from the side (never leaning your head over the tube) to drop the dud into a deep 20-liter (5-gallon) bucket of water so the powder core is thoroughly saturated and inert before disposal.
flowchart TD
    Start["Fireworks or Pyrotechnic Emergency"] --> Incident{"What type of emergency occurred?"}
    Incident -->|"Hand Blast / Finger Amputation"| HandBlast["1. Apply firm direct pressure with clean cloth (or tourniquet if arterial spurting)<br/>2. Wrap severed fingers in damp gauze -> seal in plastic bag -> place on ice water<br/>3. Call 911 / 112 / 999 for Hand Trauma Center"]
    Incident -->|"Eye Struck by Debris, Spark, or Blast"| EyeHit["1. DO NOT rub, rinse forcefully, or press on the eyeball<br/>2. Tape the bottom of a paper/foam cup or rigid shield over the bony eye socket<br/>3. Cover both eyes to stop sympathetic movement and rush to ER"]
    Incident -->|"Sparkler or Thermal Skin Burn"| BurnCare["1. Brush off dry powder, cool with running tap water for 20 full minutes<br/>2. Remove rings and watches from burned hand immediately<br/>3. Cover loosely with plastic cling film"]
    Incident -->|"Misfired Firework ('Dud') on Ground"| DudSafe["1. Stay back at least 15 meters (50 feet) for 20 full minutes<br/>2. NEVER relight or look down mortar tube<br/>3. Soak completely in a bucket of water overnight"]

Pyrotechnic hazard matrix: temperatures, blast physics, and injury profiles

Understanding the temperatures and explosive yields of different consumer and display fireworks explains why specific injuries occur and how emergency physicians treat them.

Firework Device Type Burning Temperature / Explosive Mechanism Primary Injury Patterns Critical First Aid and Safety Rule
Handheld Wire or Wooden Sparklers 1,000 to 1,600 °C (1,800 to 3,000 °F): Oxidizer (potassium nitrate or barium nitrate) mixed with aluminum, magnesium, titanium, or iron filings Deep full-thickness contact burns to toddlers' hands and bare feet (stepping on dropped hot wires); clothing ignition; corneal thermal burns from flying sparks Never hand sparklers to children under age 5 to 7; keep a bucket of water next to users to drop spent red-hot wires into immediately
Reloadable Aerial Mortar Shells (Festival Balls / Artillery Shells) Black-powder lift charge propels shell 40 m high, followed by flash-powder burst charge detonating at >1,500 m/s shockwave velocity Catastrophic hand blast amputation (holding tube or relighting short fuse); fatal craniofacial blast trauma and ruptured globe when looking down a misfired mortar tube Never hold an aerial mortar tube in your hand; never load a shell upside-down; never look over a mortar tube
Multi-Shot Aerial Cakes (Repeater Boxes) 10 to 200 fused mortar tubes glued into a square cardboard base firing sequentially every 1 to 2 seconds Tip-over horizontal firing: Recoil from early shots tips the lightweight box onto its side on grass, firing subsequent exploding shells horizontally into the crowd at chest/face height Always brace aerial cakes on flat pavement sandwiched between heavy concrete cinder blocks or bricks so the box cannot tip over
Bottle Rockets, Skyrockets, and Roman Candles Black-powder rocket motor or sequential star ejection propelled along a wooden stabilizer stick or hand tube High-velocity ocular impact: Erratic flight trajectories strike bystanders directly in the eye, causing hyphema, lens dislocation, retinal detachment, and globe rupture Never shoot Roman candles or bottle rockets at people; never launch bottle rockets out of glass bottles (which shatter into shrapnel)
Flash-Powder Salutes (M-80s, Cherry Bombs, Quarter-Sticks, Firecrackers) Confined potassium perchlorate and dark pyro-aluminum flash powder (detonates rather than deflagrates even with minimal confinement) Blast hand hyperextension: Traumatic amputation of thumb and index/middle fingers, split palm, ruptured tympanic membranes (eardrums), and shrapnel wounds Never hold any lit firecracker or salute in your hand; illegal salutes have waterproof fuses that burn internally without visible sparks
Yellow / White Phosphorus Fireworks ("diablo", "piccolo pete", or tropical crackers) Contains toxic white/yellow phosphorus that auto-ignites in air and causes lethal hepatotoxicity / multi-organ failure if swallowed Smoking chemical burns that reignite when exposed to air, plus fatal systemic poisoning if a child eats or licks unburnt fireworks paste Keep phosphorus burns wet with water-soaked dressings so particles cannot reignite in air; rush any child who tastes a firework to the ICU immediately

Treating catastrophic hand blast injuries and finger amputations

The human hand is the most frequently injured body part in fireworks explosions. When a firecracker, mortar shell, or Roman candle explodes while grasped in the palm, the expanding gas bubble forces the thumb radially outward and hyperextends the fingers dorsally while driving carbonaceous soot and cardboard fragments deep into the carpal tunnel and tendon sheaths.

1. Immediate hemorrhage control on a blasted hand

  1. Apply direct pressure and elevate: Even when multiple fingers are blown off or the palm is split open down to the white metacarpal bones, the majority of hand blast bleeding comes from the superficial and deep palmar arterial arches and digital arteries, which can usually be controlled by firm, continuous direct pressure using a thick stack of sterile gauze pads or a clean folded cotton towel held tightly over the entire hand while elevating the arm above the level of the heart.
  2. When to use a commercial tourniquet: If a mortar shell or pipe bomb blast has severed the radial or ulnar artery at the wrist or caused a partial forearm amputation with bright red arterial blood spurting uncontrollably through the pressure dressing, apply a commercial windlass tourniquet 5 to 7 centimeters (2 to 3 inches) above the wrist or above the elbow and tighten until bleeding stops completely; see severe bleeding and tourniquet application.
  3. Remove all rings, watches, and bracelets from the injured hand and wrist within the first 2 minutes: Blast and thermal trauma trigger massive fluid swelling (edema) across the hand and fingers within 15 minutes. A gold or titanium wedding band left on a blasted or burned finger turns into an unyielding steel tourniquet that cuts off blood flow and causes gangrenous loss of an otherwise salvageable finger. Slide rings off immediately using soap or cold water, or cut them off with a ring cutter.
  4. Never cut off "dangling" fingers or skin flaps: Even if a finger is crushed, pale, and attached only by a thin 3-millimeter strip of skin or a single tendon (subtotal amputation), that tiny bridge often contains a critical dorsal vein or digital nerve that allows a microvascular hand surgeon to save the digit. Gently align the dangling finger in a neutral resting position next to the adjacent fingers, pad between the fingers with moist sterile gauze, and splint the whole hand and wrist on a padded board or rolled magazine.

2. How to preserve completely amputated fingers or thumb segments

Microvascular hand surgeons can successfully replant (reattach) severed thumbs and fingers, especially in children and when the thumb or multiple digits are involved, provided the amputated parts are preserved properly during transport:

  1. Search the blast site immediately with flashlights to locate all severed finger segments (especially the thumb, which accounts for 40 percent of total hand function).
  2. Rinse gently, never scrub: If the severed finger is covered in dirt, grass, or gunpowder soot, rinse it gently for a few seconds with sterile normal saline or clean bottled drinking water. Never scrub the raw tissue with a brush, and never pour hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, or iodine onto the severed part (which chemically kills the exposed blood vessels and nerves).
  3. Use the 3-layer "Damp Gauze -> Sealed Plastic Bag -> Ice Water Bath" method:
  4. Layer 1: Wrap the severed finger completely in sterile gauze pads (or a clean paper towel) lightly moistened (damp, not dripping wet) with sterile saline or clean bottled water.
  5. Layer 2: Place the wrapped finger inside a clean, watertight zip-top plastic bag, press the excess air out, and seal the zipper tightly. Label the bag with the patient's name and time.
  6. Layer 3: Place that sealed plastic bag inside a second larger container, cooler, or outer plastic bag filled with a mixture of crushed ice and cold water (slush bath at roughly 4 degrees Celsius / 39 degrees Fahrenheit).

Danger

Never place an amputated finger or thumb directly onto bare ice cubes, never pack it in dry ice, and never submerge the bare tissue directly in a cup of water or saline. Direct contact with ice freezes the cells and creates intracellular ice crystals (frostbite necrosis) that make surgical reattachment 100 percent impossible, while soaking bare tissue directly in water causes hypotonic cellular swelling and maceration.

Ocular fireworks trauma: open globe injuries and corneal burns

Approximately 15 to 20 percent of all fireworks injuries strike the eyes, and a third of severe ocular fireworks injuries result in permanent legal blindness or surgical removal of the eye (enucleation). Fireworks injure the eye through three simultaneous mechanisms: blunt blast shockwave contusion (causing bleeding in the front chamber of the eye called hyphema, lens dislocation, and retinal detachment), high-velocity projectile perforation (cardboard plugs, plastic casing shards, or unburnt black-powder grains punching straight through the cornea or sclera), and extreme thermal/alkaline chemical burns from burning metallic sparks.

Step-by-step first aid for a fireworks eye injury

  1. Recognize the signs of a ruptured or penetrated eyeball (open globe injury):
  2. Visible blood pooling inside the colored iris area of the eye (hyphema).
  3. A pupil that looks teardrop-shaped, peaked, or irregular instead of round, or brownish/black iris tissue protruding through a tear in the clear cornea.
  4. Clear jelly-like fluid (vitreous humor) leaking from the eye, or the front of the eye looking flattened or deflated.
  5. Severe eye pain accompanied by an immediate drop in vision (able to see only hand motion or light).
  6. Strictly enforce the 4 "NEVERs" of ocular blast trauma:
  7. NEVER rub, press on, or squeeze the injured eye. Even the slightest finger pressure on a perforated eyeball extrudes the iris, lens, and retina out through the wound, causing irreversible blindness.
  8. NEVER attempt to pull out or tweeze out any cardboard splinter, wire, or firework fragment stuck in the eyeball.
  9. NEVER forcefully flush or squirt tap water into an eye that has a suspected puncture, laceration, or blast rupture. (Only gentle saline irrigation is used if the injury is purely superficial dry powder dust on an intact eye without blast impact; when in doubt after a firework blast, do not irrigate; shield and go straight to the emergency room).
  10. NEVER put eye drops, ointments, or aspirin in or give aspirin/ibuprofen by mouth (NSAIDs thin the blood and worsen intraocular bleeding/hyphema).
  11. Apply a rigid protective eye shield resting on the facial bones:
  12. If you do not have a military/medical rigid aluminum Fox eye shield in your first aid kit, take a disposable paper cup or Styrofoam coffee cup, cut the bottom 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) off the cup, and tape that rigid cup bottom over the injured eye so the rim rests entirely on the hard brow bone above and cheekbone below, without touching the eyelids or eyeball at all.
  13. A pair of polycarbonate safety glasses or the person's regular eyeglasses worn over the eye also serves as a temporary protective shield.
  14. Cover the UNINJURED eye as well (binocular patching):
  15. Both human eyes move together synchronously (consensual conjugate eye movement). If the injured eye is covered with a cup but the patient is looking around rapidly with their good eye during the ambulance ride, the injured eyeball underneath the cup is also swiveling back and forth against embedded shrapnel.
  16. Lightly cover the uninjured eye with a clean cloth or ask the patient to keep both eyes closed while guiding them by the arm, and keep their head elevated at a 30-to-45-degree angle during transport to an emergency room with an on-call ophthalmologist; see eye injuries.

Sparkler burns, gunpowder flash burns, and acoustic blast trauma

1. Cooling sparkler and flash-powder skin burns

Because handheld wire sparklers burn using metallic fuels (magnesium, aluminum, iron, or titanium) mixed with oxidizers, they continue burning even if dropped into grass or brushed against clothing, reaching 1,000 to 1,600 degrees Celsius (1,800 to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit).

  1. Extinguish burning clothing immediately: If a sparkler or Roman candle star ignites a child's shirt or synthetic dress, force them to the ground immediately (Stop, Drop, and Roll), smother the flames with a heavy cotton blanket or coat, or douse them with a bucket of water.
  2. Brush off dry powder, then flush with cool running water for 20 minutes:
  3. Gently brush away any loose dry firework powder or ash from the skin.
  4. Immediately place the burned hand, foot, or face under cool running tap water (approximately 15 degrees Celsius / 59 degrees Fahrenheit) for a full 20 continuous minutes.
  5. Why if white/yellow phosphorus is involved: In tropical and Latin American regions where illegal crackers contain white or yellow phosphorus, particles embedded in the skin emit white smoke with a garlic odor and spontaneously reignite whenever exposed to air. Keep the burned area continuously submerged in cool water or covered with dripping-wet saline gauze during transport so atmospheric oxygen cannot reach the phosphorus particles.
  6. Cover loosely with plastic cling wrap: After 20 minutes of water cooling, lay a clean sheet of household plastic food wrap (cling film) loosely over the burn (never wrapped tightly around a limb) to keep air off the raw nerve endings; see burns first aid.

2. Ruptured eardrums (tympanic membrane perforation) from blast overpressure

Pucanje bljeskavim barutom ili zračna granata koja eksplodira unutar 1 do 3 metra (3 do 10 stopa) od glave osobe stvara trenutni akustični nadtlačni val veći od 170 do 190 decibela (35 do 100 kilopaskala / 5 do 15 psi), što je dovoljno da razbije bubnu opnu (bubnjić) i dislocira sićušni koščice srednjeg uha:

  • Simptomi: Iznenadna zaglušujuća zvonjava u ušima (tinitus), prigušeni gubitak sluha, oštra bol u uhu, vrtoglavica/vrtoglavica, a ponekad i curenje jarko crvene krvi ili bistre tekućine iz ušnog kanala.
  • Prva pomoć: Nikada ne stavljajte vodu, kapi za uši, ulje ili štapiće od vate u ušni kanal nakon ozljede eksplozijom, jer unošenje nesterilne tekućine kroz razderani bubnjić u šupljinu srednjeg uha uzrokuje ozbiljnu infekciju. Jednostavno stavite labavu, suhu sterilnu gazu preko vanjske strane uha kako biste uhvatili eventualnu drenažu, uputite pacijenta da ne ispuhuje nos i neka liječnik za uho, nos i grlo (ENT) pregleda uši.

3. Trovanje fosfornim vatrometom kod djece

U dijelovima Latinske Amerike i jugoistočne Azije male frikcijske ili udarne petarde (često u obliku malih šarenih bombona ili tableta zvanih diablitos, totes ili martinicas) proizvode se od bijelog/žutog fosfora:

  • Ekstremna smrtonosnost: Gutanje čak i sićušnog fragmenta (1 miligrama po kilogramu tjelesne težine) bijelog fosfora uzrokuje peckanje u ustima/želucu, povraćanje koje miriše na češnjak i slabo svijetli u mraku ili ispušta bijeli dim (svjetleće/povraćanje koje se puši), nakon čega slijedi varljiva 24-satna faza "bez simptoma" prije katastrofalne akutne dolazi do zatajenja jetre, zatajenja bubrega i smrti.
  • Radnja: Ako dijete koje je prohodalo stavi neizgorjeli ili istrošeni vatromet u usta, nikada mu nemojte davati mlijeko ili masnu hranu (masnoće ubrzavaju apsorpciju fosfora u crijevima). Isperite im usta vodom i odmah ih odvezite u hitnu pedijatrijsku bolnicu; vidjeti prva pomoć kod trovanja.

Sigurno zbrinjavanje neispaljenih "dud" vatrometa i istrošenih krhotina

Gotovo trećina svih smrtonosnih ozljeda glave vatrometom događa se kada odrasla osoba zapali minobacačku granatu s mogućnošću ponovnog punjenja ili višestruki metak, ništa se ne događa nakon što fitilj izgori, a osoba priđe i nagne lice preko cijevi da vidi zašto nije eksplodirala.

Warning

Nikada se ne približavajte neispaljenom vatrometu ("dud") najmanje 20 punih minuta, nikada ne pokušavajte ponovno upaliti skraćeni fitilj i nikada ne stavljajte glavu ili trup preko vrha cijevi minobacača. Unutar neispaljene čahure, mikroskopska iskra često polako tinja kroz zbijeni crni barut ili kartonsku zapreku prije nego što iznenada udari u glavno podizanje ili rasprskavajuće punjenje nekoliko minuta kasnije, ispaljujući čauru prema gore brzinom od 150 kilometara na sat (93 milje na sat) izravno u vašu lubanju.

Protokol korak po korak za neutraliziranje neispaljenog vatrometa

  1. Establish a 15-meter (50-foot) exclusion perimeter and start a 20-minute timer: As soon as a lit firework fails to ignite or stops shooting halfway through its sequence, shout to all spectators to stay back and watch the clock for a full 20 minutes.
  2. Douse from a distance first if a garden hose is available: After waiting 20 minutes, if you have a pressurized garden hose, spray water from a safe distance into the top of the misfired cake or tube before walking up to it.
  3. Submerge completely in a deep bucket of water from the side:
  4. Approach the firework keeping your head and upper body well to the side of the tube's aiming axis (never lean over the top).
  5. Using long-handled barbecue tongs or a flat shovel, pick up the misfired firework (or the entire mortar tube if a live shell is stuck inside the bottom) and submerge it completely in a 20-liter (5-gallon) bucket filled to the brim with cold water.
  6. Place a brick or stone on top of the floating cardboard firework so it stays 100 percent underwater overnight (for at least 12 to 24 hours). Water penetrates the cardboard casing and dissolves the potassium nitrate oxidizer in black powder, rendering it permanently unable to ignite.
  7. Wrap in double plastic bags before placing in outdoor trash:
  8. The next morning, remove the waterlogged firework from the bucket, wrap it tightly inside two layers of heavy plastic trash bags so the wet powder cannot dry out in the sun and become flammable again, and place it in your outdoor household solid waste bin (or call your local fire department non-emergency line if it is a large unexploded commercial display shell or illegal salute).
  9. Never throw soaked or unexploded fireworks into a campfire, wood stove, or burn barrel, and never dump spent fireworks boxes directly into a plastic trash bin inside your garage on the night of the celebration; smoldering cardboard glue inside "spent" fireworks cakes is a leading cause of midnight house fires hours after the show ends.

Tip

Before any holiday celebration where fireworks or sparklers may be used nearby, make sure your household first aid kit includes a rigid eye shield, sterile saline pods, non-stick burn dressings, plastic cling film, and a commercial tourniquet, and consider taking a certified first aid course from the Red Cross or St John Ambulance.

Često postavljana pitanja

Are handheld sparklers really dangerous enough to cause severe burns in young children?

Yes. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards, handheld sparklers are the single leading cause of fireworks-related emergency room injuries in children under age 5. While water boils at 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) and wood burns at roughly 300 to 600 degrees Celsius, a wire sparkler burns using metallic magnesium, aluminum, or iron fuel at 1,000 to 1,600 degrees Celsius (1,800 to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit). Touching the glowing tip or stepping barefoot onto a newly dropped wire sparkler causes an instantaneous third-degree (full-thickness) skin burn that often requires skin grafting.

Why should you never put an amputated finger directly onto ice after a fireworks blast?

Placing bare human tissue directly onto ice cubes (at 0 degrees Celsius or below) freezes the delicate skin and microscopic blood vessels, forming sharp intracellular ice crystals that rupture cell walls and cause irreversible frostbite tissue death. If a severed finger freezes solid, a microvascular hand surgeon cannot reattach it. Instead, always use the 3-layer method: wrap the severed finger in sterile gauze moistened with saline or clean water, seal it inside a dry watertight plastic zip-top bag, and place that sealed bag on top of a mixture of crushed ice and water so the tissue is cooled to roughly 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) without ever freezing or getting waterlogged.

If firework debris or sparks fly into someone's eye, why shouldn't I press a bandage over the eye or try to rinse it out?

When a firework explodes near the face or launches a projectile into the eye, the shockwave or high-speed particle frequently tears or punctures the outer wall of the eyeball (an open globe injury). If you press a folded cloth against a ruptured eyeball, or pry the eyelids apart forcefully to pour water in, the mechanical pressure squeezes the internal gel (vitreous), iris, and lens out through the corneal tear, causing permanent blindness. Never touch or press on an eye injured by fireworks; tape the bottom of a paper cup or a rigid shield over the bony eye socket so nothing touches the eye, cover the other eye to reduce eye movement, and go straight to the nearest emergency room.

How long should you wait before approaching a firework that did not go off after you lit the fuse?

Fire safety authorities including the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) advise waiting at least 20 full minutes before approaching any misfired firework ("dud"). When a fuse appears to go out, an invisible ember often continues smoldering very slowly through the paper core or compacted powder train inside the casing, and can suddenly detonate the main charge 5 to 15 minutes later. After waiting 20 minutes, never try to relight the dud; keep your head and body to the side of the tube and submerge the entire firework in a deep bucket of water overnight.

Why do so many garage and house fires start at 2:00 AM or 3:00 AM on the night after backyard fireworks?

Multi-shot fireworks cakes and mortar tubes are constructed from thick layers of tightly rolled cardboard laminated together with glue and clay plugs. After a firework finishes shooting, deep internal layers of cardboard and clay remain superheated and often harbor tiny glowing embers for 3 to 5 hours without producing visible smoke. When people sweep up spent fireworks shells and cardboard boxes right after the show and toss them into a plastic trash bin inside their garage or against the side of their house, the trapped heat ignites surrounding paper trash in the middle of the night. Always soak all spent fireworks debris in a bucket of water before putting it in the trash, and keep the trash bin away from buildings.

What should I do if my ears are ringing loudly and my hearing is muffled after a loud firework explodes nearby?

Loud ringing (tinnitus), muffled hearing, ear fullness, or sharp pain after a close firework blast indicates acute acoustic trauma and a possible perforated eardrum (ruptured tympanic membrane) or inner-ear cochlear hair cell injury. Do not put any ear drops, water, oil, or cotton swabs inside the ear canal, and avoid blowing your nose (which forces air pressure through the Eustachian tube out through the torn eardrum). Keep the ear completely dry and see an emergency physician or ENT specialist within 24 hours; early prescription corticosteroid treatment can significantly improve recovery from acute blast-induced sensorineural hearing loss.

Povezani vodiči

Izvori provjereni

  • United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC, United States): Annual Fireworks Injury and Fatality Technical Reports and Safety Education Guidelines
  • American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and American Society of Surgery of the Hand (ASSH, United States): Clinical Management of Ocular Fireworks Trauma (Open Globe Protocol) and Pyrotechnic Blast Hand Injuries
  • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA, United States): Code for Fireworks Display (NFPA 1123) and Code for the Manufacture, Transportation, Storage, and Retail Sales of Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (NFPA 1124)
  • Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), National Health Service (NHS), and Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA, United Kingdom): Fireworks Safety Code, Sparkler Thermal Burn Treatment, and Misfire Disposal
  • World Health Organization (WHO): Burn Prevention and Care Guidelines and Management of White Phosphorus Pyrotechnic Poisoning