Welcome to Dr William Boothe

If not handled properly, fireworks can cause burn and eye injuries in kids and adults. In 2003, six deaths were linked to fireworks and hospital emergency departments treated 9,300 fireworks injuries.

• Safety tips
  
  
  1. Let the pros handle it. Your safest bet is to leave the fireworks to the professionals and enjoy the big show from a safe distance.
     
     
  2. No kids allowed. Never allow young children to handle fireworks or sparklers. Never. Older children should only be allowed to use fireworks under tight adult supervision.
     
     
  3. Keep it legal. Check with local police to see what devices are legal to use in your area. Several states, including New York and New Jersey, ban all consumer fireworks, including sparklers. Check the CPSC full list of state laws. Don't experiment or try to make your own. And, of course, legal doesn't mean safe. According to the CSPC, illegal products cause only about 2% percent of firecracker injuries.
     
     
  4. Look for labels and read the instructions. The manufacturer's name, instructions, and warnings are required by law. So if they are missing, you probably have a counterfeit product that could be even more dangerous than legal fireworks. A 2004 test by the CPSC and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection of imported fireworks shipments found that nearly 28 percent of the products violated federal safety standards.

According to the US Consumer product report (2001) approximately 9,500 people showed up at emergency rooms in the US with firework related injuries. Nearly 17 percent were eye related.

Always read and follow label directions.

Have an adult present. Even sparklers can harm a child.

Buy from reliable sellers.

Use outdoors only.

Always have water handy (a garden hose and a bucket).

Never experiment or make your own fireworks.

Light only one firework at a time.