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Fireworks injuries can turn Fourth's sizzle to fizzle

News Channel 8 photo by JIM FARQUHAR

Lutz held its annual July 4 parade at 10 a.m. off Lutz-Lake Fern Road.

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By MARY SHEDDEN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 4, 2009

TAMPA - It's not the Fourth of July without fireworks.

But with the celebration comes an unfortunate byproduct: injuries and burns associated with the festive explosives.

In 2006, 9,200 children and adults nationwide visited hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eleven died.

Rich Paula, associate medical director of emergency medicine at Tampa General Hospital, said excessive use of alcohol and a lack of supervision are responsible for most of the patients he sees show up with burns around the Fourth of July.

"They usually say they didn't think it would go off," he says of the bottle rockets, sparklers and other explosives purchased at roadside fireworks stands.

An estimated 60 percent of all fireworks-related injuries happen in the month surrounding the Fourth of July holiday, according to a 2006 Consumer Product Safety Commission analysis.

Of those hurt, a third are children younger than 15. That's especially problematic because children have far more delicate skin than adults, Paula said.

Debra Holtzman, author of "The Safe Baby: a Do-it-yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living," said parents let down their guard with sparklers, which seem harmless. However, they can do a lot of damage if adults fail to supervise their use.

"Sparklers, often considered the safest fireworks, can heat up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit – hot enough to melt gold," she said.

The majority of fireworks-related injuries are to the hands, eyes, or the head, face and ears, the CDC said. The most serious injuries happen when clothes catch on fire, Paula said.

"That's when we have a real disaster," he said. Tampa General, a level one trauma hospital, also serves as the region's primary burn center.

While thousands of people head to the hospital each year with fireworks injuries, Paula said some burns can be treated safely at home.

If the burn is smaller than a quarter, red like a sunburn and tender to the touch, it most likely can be treated with pain killers and ice packs or cool water placed on the wound for five minutes at a time, Paula said. He warns people to avoid directly placing ice on the burn for too long to avoid frostbite.

Remedies such as butter or olive oil are useless in treating the injury, he added.

Burns that result in discolored skin or are larger than a quarter need immediate medical attention. A person with a large, white or black burn will be more comfortable having ice placed on the wound. But there's little that can be done at home.

"Once the damage is done, there's nothing else to help heal other than time," he said. "Ice is more for patient comfort than anything else."

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