The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced today that it is recalling multiple-shot fireworks from five different companies, in addition to the agency's regulatory action from last week, during its eighth annual fireworks-safety exhibition at the Sylvan Theater on the Mall in Washington. The commission estimates that over half of the 9,400 people injured by fireworks during the month surrounding the Fourth of July holiday last year were children under the age of 15.
Chairman Ann Brown said, "This year the commission is regulating, recalling and working with the U.S. Customs Service to protect consumers from faulty fireworks. We want you to enjoy your Fourth of July holiday outside under the stars instead of inside under the glare of a hospital light."
The CPSC voted unanimously on June 22 to begin a regulation proceeding on multiple tube aerial display fireworks, which caused two deaths and an estimated 150 burn injuries annually. The parents of three-year-old Michael Shannon, one of the two victims, were on hand as a part of their personal crusade for firework-safety. The commission demonstrated common fireworks hazards related to legal and illegal fireworks at the press conference.
CPSC is working with the U.S. Customs Service in a joint program to seize fireworks that do not comply with the commission's standards. Since establishing the program in 1988, U.S. Customs officers working with the CPSC have seized nearly 363 million fireworks.
Last year, hospital emergency rooms treated well-over 12,000 firework-related injuries. To reduce the risk of injuries from fireworks, CPSC recommends the following guidelines:
- Never allow young children to play with fireworks.
- Read and follow all warning label directions.
- Do not consume alcohol when using fireworks.
- Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned.
- Keep a bucket of water handy in case of a malfunction or fire.
- Be sure that other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
- Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves, and flammable materials.
About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. Since the CPSC was established more than 50 years ago, it has worked to ensure the safety of consumer products, which has contributed to a decline in injuries associated with these products.
Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.
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