James Reingold doesn’t want to snuff out anyone’s flame, but after too many summers treating emergency department patients at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, he has a special Independence Day message: For the love of whatever you hold dear, don’t give your kids sparklers.
Fireworks injuries have gone up 25% over the last 15 years, with children and young adults most likely to be hurt, according to new data released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Fireworks imports rose 50% during the same 2005-21 period, to 416 million pounds.
Sparklers can be especially dangerous because they are intended to be held — rather than admired from a distance — and are often marketed to children, Reingold said. They accounted for 63% of fireworks injuries among children under age 5.
