We have a long tradition of celebrating our country’s birthday with firework displays…and for good reason. Fireworks dazzle us with color, sound and light. It’s a great time to savor our freedom.
It’s also a time to be careful.
With the 4th of July nearly here, we need to remember that fireworks are not toys. Improperly handled, they cause a lot of trauma. In fact, the most recent report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission states fireworks caused nearly 10,500 eye injuries – 1,300 of which were treated in emergency rooms.
You might think this is caused by handling the explosives, and that’s a factor. However, bystanders suffer nearly half of the injuries reported.
Avoid these problems by not letting young children play with fireworks of any type. If you do handle them, wear protective eyewear. Better yet, leave the lighting of fireworks to trained pyrotechnicians and give them lots of room.
For more about eye safety from fireworks and other causes, www.aao.org/eye-health is a comprehensive site for preventing any kind of eye injuries.
Every unit of donated blood potentially saves a life. Around the world, blood and blood products help patients suffer less from lift-threatening conditions. This enables them to live longer with a higher quality of life. TV shows like the Korean War’s MASH to present day CODE BLACK demonstrate how quickly emergency situations consume units of blood. Yes, these programs are good entertainment. They also highlight the importance of readily available, safe blood products.
