Fire Cracker First Aid, Warnings and Reminders for New Year's Eve

How was your vacation/ staycation/ workcation so far? Time sure flies fast and now, it's the end of a month-long celebration and a the beginning of a new year. 2011 has brought us a lot of challenges, new experiences and adventures. You know what would be better? Ending the year with a bang, but not literally. Be with your families, celebrate by eating in moderation, have fun even without dealing with fire crackers. It's dangerous enough that it's inside your homes. What more if someone ingested it or get injured by it?

Here are some tips and reminders to have an injury-free celebration. (Send this to relatives and friends. Being informed is a good way to prevent injuries. Don't say you weren't informed. I informed you.)

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Same almost every year, "Piccolo" is among the hospital's top list cause of fire cracker related injuries. Why is Piccolo dangerous? The packaging is very attractive to kids as there are often cartoon characters printed on the box. Upon opening, they'll see small sticks of red colored stuff. Perfect combination for kids to think that they are candies.

As per research, just the ingestion of 2 sticks can already cause death. Unintentional ingestion of the residue can cause week long vomiting and can also possibly cause death. The most evident presentation of phosphorus ingestion? Phosphorescent feces or vomitus, also known as the “smoking stool syndrome”.

Piccolo contains yellow phosphorus. This is a highly toxic substance. According to a medical dictionary,

Yellow phosphorus, sometimes found in rat poisons, certain fertilizers, and fireworks is most toxic to the gastrointestinal tract and liver. Ingestion is usually followed by vomiting which is said to be luminescent and have a garlicky odour. Delirium, coma and death from cardiovascular collapse may ensue. (source)

Another warning. If the victim is intoxicated with Alcohol, doctors won't be able to administer you with Anesthesia. Whether you get injured by whatever kind of fire cracker, make sure to have a tetanus injection if you don't want complications as grave as death (No pun intended). For some, New Year won't be complete without fire crackers. For me, it is more important to celebrate the new year and enter the next year with complete fingers without any injuries.

Stages of Phosphorous poisoning:
Phase I (0 – 24 hours) Gastrointestinal effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain.
Phase II (1 – 3 days) Quiescent stage with improvement. Mild nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
Phase III (> 3 days) Multi-system failure, involving liver, heart, kidneys, and the CNS.

Usual ingredients of fire crackers:
Barium – Profound hypokalemia induced by barium causes muscle weakness, respiratory failure, and ventricular dysrhythmias. Treatment includes respiratory support, potassium repletion, and hemodialysis if indicated.
Arsenic – Inorganic trivalent arsenic effects are predominantly GI (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hemorrhagic gastritis) and cardiovascular (prolonged QT interval, torsades de pointes). Hypovolemic shock is an early threat.
Phosphorous – The phases of white phosphorous poisoning progress over several days from gastrointestinal manifestations to multi-system failure.

First Aid: (Source)  -- Keep alkaline soap and eggs ready for first aid purposes.
1. Run cool water over the affected area.
2. Avoid applying ointments or creams
3. Cover the injured area with a clean and dry cloth
4. Seek medical attention immediately when an area larger than the size of the palm is affected, when the burn extends beyond the skin, or when the eyes are involved.

Specific first aid for different parts of the body:
* If ingested, give egg whites (raw) immediately. Adult: 8-12 ; Children: 6-8.
* If the eyes get burnt, immediately rinse the eyes with water and call for medical emergency. If the victim is wearing contact lenses, remove them before rinsing it with water.
* For parts with accessirues, carefully try to remove the burnt clothes of the victim unless it is sticking to the injury. Remove any rings, belt, watch, shoes or any accessory worn by the victim before the affected area swells.
* If clothes are on fire, drop and roll. Running only spreads the fire and should be discouraged.

DO NOT GIVE OILS.
DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING OR DO GASTRIC LAVAGE.
AVOID OXYGEN, UNLESS INTUBATED; IT MAY TRIGGER EXPLOSION.

How to prevent Fire Cracker related injuries:
1) Never ever let kids and minors play with fire crackers. Not even let them light it up. As much as possible, avoid celebrating with fire crackers. It's bad for you and the environment anyway.
2) Fireworks cause injuries and endanger health
3) Children should not use any fireworks
4) Keep safe and away from exploding fireworks
5) Never pick used fireworks
6) Seek immediate medical treatment for all firework injuries.

Other than fire cracker related injuries, you also need to be aware of heart attack symptoms as people tend to eat more in this festive season of merrymaking. Here's a great guide for almost everything about heart attacks.

Whether you are an optimist that wants to see the new year come or a pessimist that makes sure the old year leaves, let us all celebrate the new year peacefully, with full of hope, love and faith.

If you want to watch fire works, just look at some of my photos below or check out youtube!

Happy New Year!!!
from,
Cheftonio
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