ATLANTA, July 4 (UPI) -- Fireworks led to 11 deaths and an estimated 9,200 people being treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2006, health officials say.
A report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and a study in Pediatrics estimate 6,400 fireworks-related injuries -- more than two-thirds of all fireworks-related injuries in 2006 -- occurred between June 16 and July 16, a statement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
During that same time period:
-- One out of every three people injured were children under 15 years of age.
-- About three times as many males were injured as females.
-- Young people under age 20 sustained nearly half of all injuries from fireworks.
People actively participating in fireworks-related activities are more frequently and severely injured than bystanders.
Injuries most often affected the hands -- 2,300 injuries, 1,500 injuries affected the eyes and 1,400 injuries affected the head, face and ear.
-- More than half of the injuries were burns.
-- Fireworks can be associated with blindness, third-degree burns and permanent scarring.
