[Burn injuries due to fireworks during New Year holiday. A 10-year case load]

Abstract

Minor burns due to fireworks which are treated in the Casualty Department have remained constant during the past ten years. The injured patients are boys and young men between 7-19 years. Boys are injured ten times as frequently as girls. The commonest sites of injuries are the upper limbs, the head and neck. The number of patients admitted to hospital on account of serious burns has increased. These are most frequently caused by clothes catching fire from fireworks which have been hidden under outer clothes or in trouser pockets. In order to avoid the serious burns caused by burning clothes, it is recommended that fireworks should not be concealed under clothes but carried away from the body possibly in a container made of non-inflammable material.