Fireworks and Asthma: Deadly Combo
June 22, 2001
During the summer, parents worry about children and fireworks. Countless numbers of children are injured each year while playing with fireworks, many of them experiencing severe burns. However, parents now have another cause for concern, as more evidence has surfaced regarding asthmatic children and fireworks.
According to the December issue of the Annals of Allergy, fumes from fireworks can aggravate pediatric asthma. In the article, Dr. Jack M. Becker of Temple University detailed two instances of asthmatic children who had played with fireworks and then experienced life-threatening asthma attacks.
A thirteen-year-old boy spent three days in an intensive care unit receiving oxygen and asthma drugs after a fireworks display. In another incident, a nine-year-old girl attending a Fourth of July picnic, died after an asthma attack brought on by exposure to fumes from a sparkler. Researchers note that many more cases likely exist, and they caution parents of asthmatic children to exercise caution during fireworks celebrations.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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