Doctors Warn: Be Extra Cautious This Fourth of July, and Let the Experts Handle the Fireworks
June 29, 2026
This Fourth of July, Minnesota physicians are once again urging their fellow Minnesotans to leave the fireworks up to the professionals.
MMA says leave fireworks to the professionals this summer
June 27, 2019
Once again, the Minnesota Medical Association is urging Minnesotans to leave the lighting of fireworks to the professionals this Fourth of July.
“Every year more and more Minnesotans are ending up in the emergency department when they get hurt setting off fireworks,” said MMA President Doug Wood, MD. “We’d prefer that they leave these often-unpredictable devices to the professionals.”
According to 2017 data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on average, 280 people go to the emergency department every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4th holiday. Thirty-six percent of the injuries involved children under the age of 14. The most commonly injured body parts included: hands and fingers (31 percent); head, face and ears (22 percent); legs (17 percent) and eyes (14 percent).
“We’d prefer that fireworks weren’t available commercially,” Wood said. “As long as they are, we strongly recommend that Minnesotans leave them to the experts who are trained in handling them.”
Latest Press Releases
Minnesota Physicians Urge Minnesotans to Apply Sunscreen, Cover Up, and Take Precautions to Avoid Skin Cancer
June 3, 2026
Now that summer weather has arrived, Minnesota physicians are urging their fellow Minnesotans to take the summer sun seriously and take precautions to prevent skin cancer.
Minnesota Physicians Focus on Five Priorities for Legislative Session
February 11, 2026
The state’s largest advocacy group for Minnesota physicians and physicians-in-training will advocate for five key legislative priorities at the Capitol this session, which begins February 17. The group will hold its annual Physicians’ Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 4, bringing together physicians and physicians-in-training from across the state to meet with their elected officials.
“Dozens of healthcare-related bills go through the Capitol each session,” said Lisa Mattson, MD, the Minnesota Medical Association’s (MMA) president. “But to make an impact for patients and medical practice in Minnesota, we really need to focus our efforts on a few top issues.”