Celebrate July 4 Safely!
Updated: Nov 21, 2022
July 4th Independence Day celebrations wouldn’t feel authentic without some sort of fireworks display. Many Americans enjoy professional, public displays of awe-inspiring pops and bursts of colors lighting the skies, but others create their own fireworks displays.
If you plan to purchase and use fireworks this year, take safety precautions. Even if you just stick with what we think of as "safer" options, such as sparklers, similar safety precautions apply.
Sparkler stats Before handing sparklers over to children, consider these details from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):
Sparklers reach a temperature of up to 2,000 degrees, the same as a blow torch. For that reason, young children, who most likely won’t understand the dangers of touching them, should not be allowed to handle them.
In a real-life example from CPSC of sparkler abuse, a 17-year-old male created a “sparkler bomb” of about 300 sparklers taped together. When he attempted to put a bucket over the mass of lit sparklers, they exploded and killed the teen.
About 12% of all fireworks injuries are caused by sparklers.
Fireworks stats According to the National Fire Protection Association: