Q. I can’t understand why several years ago, the government legalized the sale and use of firecrackers when we very well know that firecrackers cause a lot of injuries every year. Don’t you think they should be banned again?

--Gina R., Novaliches, QC

A. Filipinos welcome the New Year literally with a “bang”—the bang comes from firecrackers, which presumably drives evil spirits away and makes the New Year bountiful.

Unfortunately, firecrackers are very dangerous. Every Christmas season, firecrackers and fireworks injure and maim thousands. There are even occasional deaths.  Fireworks also cause fires. According to health authorities, most firecracker victims are children and males, and most injuries are to the hands and the eyes and result to numerous amputations and occasional blindness.

Although firecrackers are hazardous, I do not think banning them is the key to preventing firecracker injuries. In fact, statistics show that injuries caused by firecrackers have dramatically decreased since the government legalized their use. Evidently, the key to reducing personal and property damage caused by firecrackers resides in regulating rather than banning their production. Perhaps, instead of a total ban on firecrackers, local governments should adopt what the Department of Health is recommending, designate an area where firecrackers can be lighted, displayed and handled by professionals.

In any case, here are some suggestions which should help in preventing firecracker related injuries:

• Instead of firecrackers, welcome the New Year with pots, pans, kettles, car horns, paper horns, and other noise-making devices.
• If you can’t resist firecrackers, buy from reputable manufacturers. Most injuries are caused by cheap, poorly-made firecrackers that have not passed safety standards (e.g., firecrackers with defective fuses and fireworks such as roman candles and pine-trees that explode instead of light.)
• Do not pick up firecrackers that have failed to explode.
• Light firecrackers and fireworks without touching or holding them.
• Do not use PVC pipe cannons or boga which use denatured alcohol to create noise. They have caused numerous burn injuries to the face and eyes the last few years.
• Store firecrackers in areas where they are inaccessible to children and safe from accidental ignition. 
• Do not use illegal firecrackers. These include pyrotechnic devices which have twice or even thrice the gunpowder content of a legal one, which amounts to only about three grams or a teaspoon. Examples of firecrackers that contain more than the usual amount of explosive are “og,” “crying cow,” “dynamite,” and “atomic blast.”

Another illegal firecracker which children should not be allowed to handle is watusi. This firecracker accounts for a handful of deaths among children every year.

The watusi looks harmless and innocuous. It is puny, just the size of a matchstick. It doesn’t give a big bang. Instead, it simply crackles and emits a yellow spark when scratched against a rough surface. When released from the hand after being ignited, it takes short, lively hops and bounces that are a joy to watch, that is why it is called “dancing firecracker.” 

Watusi should really be harmless, except that children often mistake the brightly colored (usually reddish) firecracker for sweets. When ingested, the firecracker explodes in the gastrointestinal tract and results in thermal injuries or even rupture of the stomach or intestines. Watusi also causes serious, and sometimes fatal, chemical poisoning.

When somebody gets a firecracker-related injury, the injured hand or area of the body should be washed immediately with soap and water. Then, the victim should be brought to a hospital or a doctor regardless of how superficial the injury may seem. Firecracker blast injuries have a high risk for infection and tetanus.

Insofar as watusi is concerned, first aid measures in case the firecracker is swallowed consist of intake of three raw egg whites and bathing with soap and water. After the first aid measures have been administered, the patient should be immediately brought to the nearest hospital for further management.   

(E-mail inquiries on health matters to medical_notes@yahoo.com or wellbeing@mb.com.ph.)