iStock/Thinkstock(BALTIMORE) — Are lax fireworks laws causing more injuries for children?
Changes to U.S. fireworks laws have made it easier for younger children to purchase fireworks. A new study, presented at the 2016 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Baltimore, had researchers examine the effects these changes have had on injuries in children.
Looking at a nationwide data sample from 2006-2012, researchers found that the number of child injuries requiring medical attention increased modestly. However, the number of injuries serious enough to require admission to the hospital as opposed to just being managed in the emergency department increased substantially, from 28.9 percent in 2006 to 50 percent in 2012.
Additionally, the mean length of hospital stay increased from 3.12 days in 2006 to 7.35 days in 2012 and the mean age of the children sustaining fireworks injuries went down from 12.1 years in 2006 to 11.4 years old in 2012.
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