Emergency department doctor less than thrilled by fireworks
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CHILLICOTHE - While most people are thrilled by the extraordinary sights and sounds of fireworks, which are especially popular as summer approaches, Dr. Kevin Doherty sees a much different side. Take for instance, the fellow who decided to make his own fireworks using
PVC pipe and gunpowder.
"He essentially made a bomb and it went off, resulting in the amputation of his index finger and thumb," said Dr. Doherty, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Adena Health System.
In this case, the injuries may seriously affect the young man finding
gainful employment, because they were to his dominant hand, the physician noted.
"This is a perfect example how one wrong decision regarding fireworks safety can affect one's life," Doherty said.
And there was the case of the man who not only set off fireworks, but himself. When his clothing caught fire, he suffered nasty burns to his lower extremities.
Doherty also recalled the fellow who lit a batch of fireworks without
incident, only to be bitten by a nearby dog who was startled when the
fireworks began going off.
"Drinking alcohol and using fireworks also should never be combined," he said. "Unfortunately we see this all too frequently in the emergency department."
June 1 to July 4 has been designated as Fireworks Safety Month a great time to think twice about fireworks. Based on recent statistics, about seven people a year die as a result of firework accidents and about five of every 100 fireworks-related injuries treated in emergency departments required hospitalization.
Doherty said he is especially worried about young children when it comes to fireworks. No one under the age of 13 should be messing with fireworks, he said, and that includes sparklers.
"A sparkler is like a torch," he said, burning in excess of 1,000 degrees. "And burns are the biggest danger in setting off any fireworks," he said.
He recommends that bystanders, of all ages, remain at least 20 feet away from where fireworks are lit. And he suggests that those setting off fireworks wear goggles and have a fire extinguisher or a garden hose available just in case. Although consumption of fireworks in the U.S. has risen dramatically over the past 30 years from 29 million pounds in 1976 to more than 265 million pounds in 2007 there has been more than a 90 percent decrease in the number of fireworks-related injuries per 100,000 pounds, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.
CHILLICOTHE - While most people are thrilled by the extraordinary sights and sounds of fireworks, which are especially popular as summer approaches, Dr. Kevin Doherty sees a much different side. Take for instance, the fellow who decided to make his own fireworks using PVC pipe and gunpowder.
"He essentially made a bomb and it went off, resulting in the amputation of his index finger and thumb," said Dr. Doherty, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Adena Health System. In this case, the injuries may seriously affect the young man finding gainful employment, because they were to his dominant hand, the physician noted.
"This is a perfect example how one wrong decision regarding fireworks safety can affect one's life," Doherty said.
And there was the case of the man who not only set off fireworks, but himself. When his clothing caught fire, he suffered nasty burns to his lower extremities.
Doherty also recalled the fellow who lit a batch of fireworks without incident, only to be bitten by a nearby dog who was startled when the fireworks began going off.
"Drinking alcohol and using fireworks also should never be combined," he said. "Unfortunately we see this all too frequently in the emergency department."
June 1 to July 4 has been designated as Fireworks Safety Month a great time to think twice about fireworks. Based on recent statistics, about seven people a year die as a result of firework accidents and about five of every 100 fireworks-related injuries treated in emergency departments required hospitalization.
Doherty said he is especially worried about young children when it comes to fireworks. No one under the age of 13 should be messing with fireworks, he said, and that includes sparklers.
"A sparkler is like a torch," he said, burning in excess of 1,000 degrees. "And burns are the biggest danger in setting off any fireworks," he said.
He recommends that bystanders, of all ages, remain at least 20 feet away from where fireworks are lit. And he suggests that those setting off fireworks wear goggles and have a fire extinguisher or a garden hose available just in case. Although consumption of fireworks in the U.S. has risen dramatically over the past 30 years from 29 million pounds in 1976 to more than 265 million pounds in 2007 there has been more than a 90 percent decrease in the number of fireworks-related injuries per 100,000 pounds, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.
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