(NEXSTAR) — Did you know 11 Americans died and 10,200 others were taken to emergency rooms because of fireworks in 2022? As people across the U.S. get ready to ring in another Independence Day with some firecrackers, it’s important to remember how easily the party can go south.
In its 2022 Fireworks Annual Report, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission says 73% of all the estimated fireworks-related injuries in 2022 happened between June 17 and July 17, 2022.
Based on numbers of ER-treated injuries, CPSC says the most dangerous fireworks are:
- Firecrackers — 1,300 injuries
- Sparklers — 600 injuries
- Illegal firecrackers — 500 injuries
- Roman candles — 400 injuries
- Rockets (non-bottle) — 300 injuries
- Small firecrackers — 200 injuries
The commission says the current fireworks estimate (11) should be considered conservative since the data review is not yet complete.
By a large majority, males are more likely to be injured by fireworks than females, CPSC estimates. Meanwhile, the age ranges between 15-24 and 25-44 make up the largest portion of injuries, with 24% of injuries and 36% of injuries between June 17 and July 17, 2022, respectively.
Even though younger people made up a smaller portion of injuries during this time period (ages 5-14 accounted for 19% of injuries, while ages 0-4 accounted for 9%), it’s still recommended that families and guardians take extra precautions if children are around fireworks.
Safety tips include:
- Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks — including sparklers
- Be sure the fireworks you’re using are legally made
- Keep buckets of water or garden hoses handy in case of a fire
- Light fireworks one at a time and move away quickly
- Never try re-lighting or picking up fireworks that haven’t ignited fully
- Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs
The most-injured body parts are hands and fingers, while legs and the head/face are next-most-injured.
And incidents are on the rise, CPSC says. There was also a particularly large spike in fireworks injuries in 2020, overall, perhaps due to the pandemic. And CPSC estimates fireworks injuries are steadily climbing — an increase of about 535 injuries per year between 2007 and 2022 alone.
Overall, there were 162 fireworks-related deaths between 2007 and 2022.
Dangerous as they may be, fireworks sales are big business each year. WalletHub estimates show Americans spent over $1.5 billion on fireworks in 2020 alone.