Did you know to just SAY NO??!!

This is really going to sadden Audra but I wanted to remind everyone just how dangerous fireworks are, even sparklers...

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 9,000 fireworks related injuries happen each year. Of these, nearly half are head related injuries, with nearly 30% of these injuries to the eye. One-fourth of fireworks eye injuries result in permanent vision loss or blindness. Children are the most common victims of firework abuse, with those 15-years old or younger accounting for 50% of fireworks eye injuries in the United States. Injuries range from mild irritation of the eye to total disruption of the eyeball with permanent blindness. About 40% of patients with eye injuries will have some permanent damage to the eye.

Even fireworks that many people consider safe represent a threat to the eyes. For children under the age of five, apparently harmless sparklers account for ONE-THIRD of all fireworks injuries. Sparklers can burn at nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit). A hot spark from a sparkler can cause a serious injury to the eyelid or cornea of the eye.

A sparkler's intense heat can burn not only skin, but also the eyes which can burn the cornea (the major seeing part of your eye) and produce deep scars and lead to permanent vision loss, aka blindness.

I know there are a lot of numbers thrown out at you just now but basically just be careful this weekend, keep the kids away from each other when they have the sparklers in hand and for goodness sakes don't say you weren't warned...