Injuries, shock and death: the terrible effects of fireworks on people and animals

Independence Day is one of the most important American holidays, which ends with fireworks: sparkling flashes over the town square, backyard sparklers, Roman candles by the lake. All this is great entertainment, unless you are an emergency doctor, the parent of a child awakened by the noise, or a fireman. But most of all because of the fireworks the birds suffer.

Фото: Depositphotos

Fireworks are fascinating, uplifting and give a sense of celebration. But in fact, they carry a rather great danger, especially if something went wrong.

Last year, 9 100 people in the US got to the emergency room with injuries associated with fireworks. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than a third of them were children under the age of 15. Most accidents occurred during the month preceding July 4.

On the subject: US Independence Day: where to watch holiday fireworks in different states

“What do we see on the Fourth of July? Oh, we see people injuring almost every part of their body from fireworks,” says Al Sacchetti, chief of emergency medicine at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, New Jersey.

“We see injuries to soft tissue, faces, eyes, everything from burns or abrasions to torn muscles from looking too closely at fireworks while technicians tried to figure out why they weren't burning,” he added. Sacchetti.

The National Fire Protection Association reports that about 18 500 fires occur due to the launch of fireworks every year. We are talking about fires in cars, houses and even forest fires. For example, a fire in Arizona that caused damage to more than 8 million dollars and destroyed 47 000 acres (19 000 hectares) of the territory began because of the fireworks launched during the party.

Photo: frame YouTube / WSLS 10 video

Fireworks not only carry the risk of injury to people, but are also very dangerous for the environment.

One of the most vivid examples of the danger of fireworks for birds is an incident that occurred in the city of Biba (Arkansas). The inhabitants of this settlement were suddenly covered with the bodies of 5 thousands of red-winged blackbirds. Frightened by the fireworks on New Year's Eve, the birds ran off so fast that they could not dodge any obstacles in their path and broke.

Suzanne West, executive director of the Sarvey Wildlife Conservation Center in Washington state, reminds us that fireworks affect not only birds, but also countless other forest animals - rabbits, squirrels, foxes - who are threatened by the noise and falling embers. For the past three years, in the lead-up to the Fourth of July, she has received repeated reports of dead baby eagle babies that likely jumped out of their nests in panic over the fireworks.

The reaction of animals to salutes can be seen without leaving the city. To do this, pay attention to the behavior of dogs.

Фото: Depositphotos

Cherie Priest from Seattle said that her usually calm Lucy dog ​​was very difficult to reassure during fireworks. To do this, the animal must be hidden under a blanket, although usually Lucy is not allowed to climb onto a bed or sofa.

Rowley, a chow chow from Oakland, California, can no longer survive fireworks without medication, according to his owner. His owners begin dosing him with hemp oil (CBD) from a local pet store a few weeks before the 4th of July. Otherwise, “he just goes crazy,” says Simone Aponte, Rowley's owner. But the dog's trauma is not limited to the holiday.

“There were so many fireworks this summer,” says Aponte, “we gave him CBD almost every night.”

Фото: Depositphotos

Frequent fireworks upset even people. For example, Rachel Bingham Kessler, an artist and mother of two children from Maine, said that a small island community is not thrilled with the constant fireworks at a popular wedding venue in the summer.

Professional fireworks are definitely less scary than those bought in a store for launch near the house. Experts agree that they are the safest, and people agree that they are the most impressive, but they too can frighten animals and small children.

According to West, the perfect solution does not exist. Even professional fireworks cause harm to the wild, although they are less dangerous to humans than fireworks launched at home.

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