Leave fireworks to the experts, urges the Minnesota Medical Association

June 24, 2021

Now that things are opening up and more Minnesotans are getting together for outdoor entertainment, Minnesota’s physicians want to remind their fellow citizens to leave the lighting of fireworks to the professionals this Independence Day.

“We see it every year. Many Minnesotans are injured and wind up in the emergency department because of injuries caused by fireworks,” said MMA President Marilyn Peitso, MD. “Physicians urge people to leave these dangerous explosives to the professionals. Serious injuries can result from accidents with fireworks.”

 According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission an estimated 7,300 fireworks-related injuries were treated in emergency departments between June 21, 2019, and July 21, 2019. Overall, in 2019, 10,000 injuries were treated in emergency departments. The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (an estimated 30 percent); legs (an estimated 23 percent); eyes (an estimated 15 percent); head, face, and ears (an estimated 15 percent); and arms (an estimated 10 percent).

Some fireworks that are purchased out of state or through other channels can be extremely dangerous because of their high explosive content. Even relatively basic fireworks like firecrackers can cause significant injury and the MMA would prefer that fireworks be detonated only by trained individuals and not available to the general public.