2022 Fireworks Annual Report
Fireworks-Related Deaths, Emergency Department-
Treated Injuries, and Enforcement Activities During
2022
June 2023
Blake Smith
Division of Hazard Analysis
Directorate for Epidemiology
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Dustin Pledger
Office of Compliance and Field Operations
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
This report was prepared by the CPSC staff.
It has not been reviewed or approved by,
and may not necessarily reflect the views of,
the Commission.
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Executive Summary
This report provides the results of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
staff’s analysis of data on non-occupational, fireworks-related deaths and injuries during
calendar year 2022. The report also summarizes CPSC staff’s enforcement activities during
fiscal year 2022.
1
Staff obtained information on fireworks-related deaths from news clippings and other
sources in CPSC’s Consumer Product Safety Risk Management System (CPSRMS). Staff also
estimated fireworks-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments from CPSC’s
National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Finally, CPSC staff conducted a special
study of non-occupational, fireworks-related injuries between June 17, 2022, and July 17, 2022.
The special study included collecting and analyzing more detailed incident information, such as
the type of injury, the fireworks involved, the characteristics of the victim, and the incident
scenario. About 73 percent of the estimated annual fireworks-related, emergency department-
treated injuries for 2022 occurred during that period.
Highlights of the report
Deaths and Injuries
• CPSC staff received reports of 11 non-occupational, fireworks-related deaths during
2022. Five of the deaths were associated with firework misuse; three deaths were
associated with a device misfire/malfunction; one death was associated with a device
tip-over; and two incidents were associated with unknown circumstances. Reporting of
fireworks-related deaths for 2022 is not complete, and the number of deaths identified
for 2022 should be considered a minimum.
• Fireworks were involved with an estimated 10,200 injuries treated in U.S. hospital
emergency departments during calendar year 2022 (95 percent confidence interval
7,800–12,500). The estimated rate of emergency department-treated injuries is 3.1 per
100,000 individuals in the United States, a decrease from 3.5 estimated injuries per
100,000 individuals in 2021.
• There is a statistically significant trend in estimated emergency department-treated,
fireworks-related injuries from 2007 through 2022. This trend estimates an increase of
535 fireworks injuries per year (p-value = <0.0001).
• In 2022, there were proportionately fewer white victims (5,100 total injuries, 69.9% of
victims, 75.6% of the U.S. population identifies as white), proportionately more black
victims (1,500 total injuries, 20.5% of victims, 13.6% of the U.S. population identifies as
black), and proportionately fewer victims associated with some other race (700 total
1
The 2022 federal fiscal year refers to the period of October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022.
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injuries, 9.6% of victims, 10.8% of the U.S. population identifies with some other race).
2
There were 2,800 fireworks-related injuries where the race of the victim was unknown.
These percentages are calculated using only the victims where race was collected.
• In 2022, there were proportionately fewer injuries where the victim identified as Hispanic
(800 total injuries,11.1% of victims, 19.1% of the U.S population identifies as Hispanic)
and proportionately more injuries where the victim identified as non-Hispanic (6,400 total
injuries, 88.9% of victims, 80.9% of the U.S population identifies as non-Hispanic). There
were 3,000 fireworks-related injuries where the ethnicity of the victim was unknown.
These percentages are calculated using only the victims where ethnicity was collected.
• An estimated 7,400 fireworks-related injuries (or 73 percent of the total estimated
fireworks-related injuries in 2022) were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments
during the 1-month special study period between June 17, 2022, and July 17, 2022 (95
percent confidence interval 5,300–9,600).
Results from the 2022 Special Study
• Of the 7,400 estimated fireworks-related injuries sustained, 65 percent were to males
and 35 percent were to females.
• Adults 25 to 44 years of age experienced about 36 percent of the estimated injuries, and
children younger than 15 years of age accounted for 28 percent of the estimated injuries.
Seniors 65+ years of age experienced a small percent of the estimated injuries at only 3
percent.
• Victims 15 to 19 years of age had the highest estimated rate of emergency department-
treated, fireworks-related injuries (6.0 injuries per 100,000 people). Children, 10 to 14
years of age, had the second highest estimated rate (3.7 injuries per 100,000 people). A
general decrease is noted comparing the 2022 rates to the 2021 rates, except for victims
15 to 24 years of age, which saw an increase from 4.0 injuries to 4.2 injuries per 100,000
people.
• There were an estimated 1,300 emergency department-treated injuries associated with
firecrackers and 600 with sparklers.
• The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (an estimated 29
percent); head, face, and ears (an estimated 19 percent); legs (an estimated 19
2
The “other” race category contains Asian, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, and American Indian/Alaskan Native
individuals with more than one race.
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percent); eyes (an estimated 16 percent); trunk/other regions (an estimated 12 percent);
and arms (an estimated 5 percent).
• An estimated 38 percent of the emergency department-treated injuries were burns.
Burns were the most common injury to hands and fingers. Contusions and lacerations,
accounting for 30 percent of the emergency department-treated injuries, were the most
common injury to the head, face, and ears.
• Approximately 88 percent of the victims were treated at the hospital emergency
department and then released. An estimated 11 percent of patients were treated and
transferred to another hospital, or they were admitted to the hospital.
• CPSC staff conducted telephone follow-up investigations on a selected sample of
fireworks-related injuries reported in NEISS during the special study period, to clarify
information about the incident scenario or fireworks type. A review of data from the 10 in-
scope completed follow-up investigations showed that most injuries were associated
with misuse or malfunction of fireworks. Most victims recovered or were expected to
recover completely. However, there was one victim who reported that their injuries might
be long-term.
Enforcement Activities
During fiscal year 2022, CPSC’s Office of Compliance and Field Operations continued to
work closely with other federal agencies to conduct surveillance on consumer fireworks and to
enforce the provisions of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.
Approximately 43% percent of the selected and tested products were found to contain
noncompliant fireworks. These noncompliant fireworks devices had a combined estimated
import value of $443,000. The violations consisted of fuse violations, presence of prohibited
chemicals, burnout or blowout, and pyrotechnic materials overload. Compared to previous
years, the percentage of tested products determined to be violative was significantly higher;
CPSC will closely monitor fireworks-related violations to determine if the rate of noncompliance
during fiscal year 2022 was anomalous.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 2
Highlights of the report ........................................................................................................... 2
Deaths and Injuries ............................................................................................................. 2
Results from the 2022 Special Study .................................................................................. 3
Enforcement Activities......................................................................................................... 4
1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 7
Sources of Information ........................................................................................................... 7
Statistical methods ................................................................................................................. 9
2. Fireworks-Related Deaths for 2022 ....................................................................................10
3. National Injury Estimates for 2022 .....................................................................................13
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries: 2007-2022 .............14
Figure 1: Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries: 2007-2022
..............................................................................................................................................15
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Race: 2007-2022
..............................................................................................................................................17
Figure 2: Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Race:
2007-2022 .............................................................................................................................18
4. Injury Estimates for the 2022 Special Study: Detailed Analysis of Injury Patterns ........18
Fireworks Device Types and Estimated Injuries ....................................................................18
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Device Type: June
17–July 17, 2022 ...................................................................................................................19
Gender and Age of Injured Persons ......................................................................................20
Figure 3: Estimated Injuries by Gender: June 17 – July 17, 2022 ..........................................20
Figure 4: Percentage of Injuries by Age Group: June 17 – July 17, 2022 ...............................21
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Age and Gender:
June 17–July 17, 2022 ..........................................................................................................22
Age and Gender of the Injured Persons by Type of Fireworks Device ...................................23
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Device Type and
Age Group: June 17–July 17, 2022 .......................................................................................24
Body Region Injured and Injury Diagnosis .............................................................................25
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Figure 5: Body Regions Injured: June 17 – July 17, 2022 ......................................................25
Figure 6: Types of Injuries: June 17 – July 17, 2022 ..............................................................26
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Body Region and
Diagnosis: June 17–July 17, 2022 .........................................................................................27
Types of Fireworks Devices and Body Regions Injured .........................................................28
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Type of Fireworks
Device and Body Region Injured: June 17–July 17, 2022 ......................................................28
Hospital Treatment ................................................................................................................29
5. Telephone Investigations of Fireworks-Related Injuries ..................................................29
Final Status of Telephone Investigations ...............................................................................30
Summary Statistics ................................................................................................................30
Hazard Patterns ....................................................................................................................31
Hazard Patterns as Described in Telephone Investigations for Fireworks-Related Injuries ....31
Long Term Consequences of Fireworks-Related Injuries ......................................................34
Where Fireworks Were Obtained ...........................................................................................34
6. Enforcement Activities .......................................................................................................35
7. Summary .............................................................................................................................35
References ..............................................................................................................................37
Appendix A ..............................................................................................................................38
Fireworks-Related Injuries and Imported Fireworks ...............................................................38
Estimated Fireworks-Related Injuries and Estimated Fireworks Imported into the United
States by Weight: 2007-2022 ................................................................................................39
Appendix B ..............................................................................................................................40
Telephone Investigations .......................................................................................................40
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1. Introduction
This report describes injuries and deaths during calendar year 2022 associated with
fireworks devices, as well as kits and components used to manufacture illegal fireworks.
Reports for earlier years in this series can be found at:
https://cpsc.
gov/Research--Statistics/Fuel-
Lighters-and-Fireworks1.
This report is organized into seven sections. Section 1 describes the data and statistical
methods used in this analysis. Section 2 summarizes the 2022 fireworks-related incidents that
resulted in deaths. Section 3 provides an annual estimate of fireworks-related, emergency
department-treated injuries in the United States for 2022, and it compares that estimate to
previous years. Section 4 analyzes emergency department-treated, fireworks-related injuries
during the month around July 4, 2022. Section 5 summarizes the telephone in-depth
investigations of a subsample of the injury incidents that occurred during that period. Section 6
describes enforcement activities of CPSC’s Office of Compliance and Field Operations (EXC)
during fiscal year 2022. The report concludes with a summary of the findings in Section 7.
Appendix A is a table depicting the relationship between fireworks-related injuries and fireworks
imports between 2007 and 2022. Appendix B provides details on the completed telephone
investigations.
Sources of Information
Staff obtained information on non-occupational, fireworks-related deaths during 2022
from CPSC’s CPSRMS. CPSRMS combines data from CPSC’s Injury or Potential Injury
Incident File (IPII), Death Certificate File (DTHS), and In-Depth Investigation File (INDP) into
one incident database. Entries in IPII come from a variety of sources, such as newspaper
articles, consumer complaints, lawyer referrals, medical examiners, and other government
agencies. CPSC staff from the Office of Compliance and Field Operations conducted in-depth
investigations of the deaths to determine the types of fireworks involved in the incidents and the
circumstances that led to the fatal injuries.
Because the data in IPII are based on voluntary reports, and because it can take more
than 2 years to receive all the death certificates from the various states to complete the DTHS,
neither data source can be considered complete for 2021 or 2022 fireworks-related deaths at
the time this report was prepared. Consequently, the number of deaths should be considered a
minimum. Staff updates the total number of deaths for previous years when new reports are
received. Total deaths for prior years may not coincide with the number in reports for earlier
years because of these updates.
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The source of information on non-occupational, emergency department-treated
fireworks-related injuries is CPSC’s NEISS. NEISS is a probability sample of the U.S. hospitals
with emergency departments.
3
Injury information is taken from the emergency department
record. This information includes the victim’s age and sex, the place where the injury occurred,
the emergency department diagnosis, the body part injured, and the consumer product(s)
associated with the injury. The information is supplemented by a narrative of 140 to 400
characters
4
in length and that often contains a brief description of how the injury occurred.
To supplement the information available in the NEISS record, CPSC staff conducts a
special study of fireworks-related injuries every year during the month around July 4. Staff focus
their efforts on fireworks incidents during this period because, in most years, about two-thirds to
three-quarters of the annual injuries occur then. During this period, hospital emergency-
department staff shows patients pictures of several types of fireworks to help them identify the
type of fireworks device associated with their injuries. The type of fireworks involved in the
incident are then included in the NEISS narrative. In 2022, the special study period lasted from
June 17 to July 17.
After reading the incident case records, including the narrative descriptions of the
fireworks device and the incident scenario, CPSC staff may assign a case for additional
telephone investigation. Staff usually selects cases that involve the most serious injuries and/or
hospital admissions. Serious injuries include eye injuries, finger and hand amputations, and
head injuries. Cases also may be assigned to obtain more information about the incident than
what is reported in the NEISS narrative. In most years, phone interviewers can collect
information for one-fifth to one-half of the cases assigned. Information on the final status of the
telephone interviews conducted during the 2022 special study is in Section 5 and Appendix B of
this report.
In the telephone investigations, information is requested directly from the victim (or the
victim’s parent, if the victim is a minor) about the type of fireworks involved, where the fireworks
were obtained, how the injury occurred, and the medical treatment and prognosis. When the
fireworks device reported in the telephone investigation is different from what is reported in the
NEISS emergency department record, the device reported in the telephone investigation is used
in the data for this report.
As a result of this investigative process, three distinct levels of information may be
available about a fireworks-related injury case. For cases that occur before or after the July 4
special study period, the NEISS record is almost always the only source of information. Many
3
For a description of NEISS, including the revised sampling frame, see Schroeder and Ault (2001). Procedures used
for variance and confidence interval calculations and adjustments for the sampling frame change that occurred in
1997 are found in Marker, Lo, Brick, and Davis (1999). SAS® statistical software for trend and confidence interval
estimation is documented in Schroeder (2000). SAS® is a product of the SAS Institute, Inc. Cary, NC. Lo, Brick, and
Davis (1999). SAS® statistical software for trend and confidence interval estimation is documented in Schroeder
(2000). SAS® is a product of the SAS Institute, Inc. Cary, NC.
4
The maximum available number of characters changed from 142 to 400 characters on January 1, 2019.
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NEISS records collected outside the special study period do not specify the type of fireworks
involved in the incident. Additional information is typically available during the special study
period because the NEISS records collected by the emergency departments usually contain the
type of fireworks and additional details on the incident scenario. Finally, the most information is
available for the subset of the special study cases where staff conducted telephone
investigations. These various levels of information about injuries correspond to these different
analyses in the report:
• Estimated national number of fireworks-related, emergency department-treated injuries.
This estimate is made using NEISS cases for the entire year, from records where
fireworks were specified as one of the consumer products involved. For cases outside the
special study period, as noted above, there is usually no information on the fireworks type, and
limited information is available on the incident scenario. Consequently, there is not enough
information to determine the role played by the fireworks in the incident. Thus, the annual injury
estimate may include a small number of cases in which the fireworks device was not lit, or no
attempt was made to light the device. Calculating the annual estimates without removing these
cases makes the estimates comparable to previous years.
• Detailed analyses of injury patterns
The tables are based on the special study period only, and they describe fireworks type,
body part injured, diagnosis, age and sex of injured people, and other relevant information.
Fireworks-type information is taken from the telephone investigation or the NEISS comment
field when there was no telephone investigation. When computing estimates for the special
study period, CPSC staff does not include cases in which the fireworks device was not lit, or no
attempt was made to light the device.
• Information from telephone investigations
Individual case injury descriptions and medical prognosis information from the telephone
investigations are provided in Appendix B. These summaries also exclude cases in which the
fireworks device was not lit, or no attempt was made to light the device. These cases represent
a sample of some of the most serious fireworks-related injuries and may not represent the
typical emergency department-treated, fireworks-related injuries.
Statistical methods
Injuries reported by hospitals in the NEISS sample were weighted by the NEISS
probability-based sampling weights to develop an estimate of total U.S. emergency department-
treated, fireworks-related injuries for the year and for the special study month around July 4.
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Confidence intervals were estimated, and other statistics were calculated using computer
programs that were written to take the sampling design into consideration.
5
Estimated injuries
are rounded to the nearest 100 injuries. Estimates of fewer than 50 injuries are shown with an
asterisk (*). Percentages are calculated from the actual estimates. Percentages may not add to
subtotals or to the total in the tables or figures, due to rounding.
This report also contains several detailed tables about fireworks-related injuries during
the special study period. National estimates in these tables were also made using the sampling
weights. To avoid cluttering the tables, confidence intervals are not included. Because the
estimates are based on subsets of data, they have larger relative sampling errors (i.e., larger
coefficients of variation) than the annual injury estimate or the special study injury estimate.
Therefore, interpretation and comparison of these estimates with each other, or with estimates
from prior years, should be made with caution. For example, when comparing subsets of the
data–such as between injuries associated with two different types of fireworks, or between two
different age groups–it is difficult to determine how much of the difference between estimates is
associated with sampling variability and how much is attributed to real differences in national
injury totals.
2. Fireworks-Related Deaths for 2022
CPSC has reports of 11 non-occupational, fireworks-related deaths that occurred during
2022.
6
Reporting of fireworks-related deaths for 2022 is not complete, and the number of deaths
in 2022 should be considered a minimum. Brief descriptions of the incidents, using wording
taken from the incident reports, follow:
• In January, a 21-year-old male was fatally injured from a fireworks blast outside of his
home. The victim lit a mortar type firework when the device unexpectedly detonated
early. The victim was struck in the right shoulder and was killed instantly. Emergency
services were called and transported the victim to the hospital where the victim was
pronounced dead. The official cause of death was not determined as the case is still
under investigation.
• In January, a house explosion killed a 17-year-old male as well as one unidentified
person. The two decedents were found dead at the scene. The blast also injured several
others. The group of victims were utilizing explosives to create fireworks in the garage.
The local fire chief stated that the ATF found numerous boxes (of materials) that the
5
See Schroeder (2000).
6
CPSC staff excludes incidents that are indirectly fireworks related. For instance, fireworks that start fires and lead to
deaths are excluded based on the logic that the fire is solely responsible for the death.
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victims ordered online. A neighbor was nearby and described the scene as “pure chaos.”
The neighbor continued saying that she saw flames engulfing the home and a young boy
and others running frantically. Investigators with the regional bomb and arson squad
stated that the brick home’s garage was leveled and the home itself was a burned-out
shell with a partial wall standing.
• In February, a 28-year-old male was fatally injured by an illegal mortar-style firework
blast on a frozen lake. The victim was with friends celebrating the life of a friend who had
passed away a year earlier. Four males went onto the ice to light the fireworks, two men
stayed at a distance while the other two lit the fireworks. After the explosion, the victim
was seen lying on the ice not moving. His friends tended to the victim while waiting for
emergency services to arrive. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Emergency services stated that the victim had major injuries on the right side of his
upper torso extending from chest to the head. The official cause of death was “Traumatic
Injuries of Head, Neck, Chest, and Right Upper Extremity” and ruled accidental. The
victim’s friends admitted to consuming alcohol on the day of the event.
• In June, a 26-year-old male was fatally injured while shooting off rocket type fireworks on
the shore of a bay. The victim was celebrating a friend’s graduation when he
successfully shot a firework into the air. He then lit a second device which did not go off.
The victim examined the malfunctioning device when it detonated. The victim collapsed
immediately. One of the party goers picked up the victim, carried him to a car, and
administered first aid in the back seat while another drove to the emergency room. At the
hospital, another unexploded firework was found in the pocket of the victim’s pants. The
victim remained in critical condition for over three days before being removed from life
support and being pronounced dead.
• In July, an 11-year-old male was fatally injured while shooting off fireworks with a group
of adults. The victim was holding a lit mortar-type device above his head. The shell
exited the bottom of the mortar and entered the victim’s skull. The mother of the victim
was present during the incident and stated that she held her son’s broken skull and brain
in her hands. Emergency services arrived and were transporting the victim to a local
high school parking lot for air transport. The victim was pronounced deceased before the
air transport arrived. Detectives believe that the device was loaded correctly, and that
the device malfunctioned. The official cause of death is listed as “Open head injuries due
to fireworks mortar.”
• In July, a 43-year-old male was fatally injured when lighting off fireworks during a party.
Eyewitnesses of the event indicated that the victim was lighting a mortar-style device
when the tube tipped over and shot directly at the victim. A party attendee attempted
lifesaving efforts. Emergency responders transported the victim to a local hospital where
further lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. The victim was pronounced dead with an
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official cause of death of “Traumatic cardiac arrest due to explosive injuries to the head
and neck due to unsafe firework use.”
• In July, an 18-year-old male was fatally wounded when lighting of a mortar-style
fireworks device at a park. One of the victim’s friends had lit a couple of artillery style
fireworks while holding the tube in his hand with no incident. Witnesses stated that the
victim held the tube in both hands near his face and chest when the mortar exploded in
his hands. Following the explosion, the victim made a groaning noise and immediately
fell to the ground. The victim’s friends called emergency services and began performing
CPR. Emergency services arrived at the scene and transported the victim to the hospital
where he was pronounced deceased on arrival. The victim and friends were consuming
alcohol at the time of the event.
• In July, a 42-year-old male was killed while lighting a mortar-style firework device at a
celebration at a friend’s house. The victim was holding the launching tube in his hand
and lifted the lit device above his head when a huge explosion occurred. The victim fell
to the ground and was unconscious immediately. The victim sustained a large hole in the
side of his neck and body cavity. Nearby family members attempted to stop the bleeding
while waiting for emergency services to arrive. Emergency responders transported the
victim to the hospital where he was declared deceased on arrival. The arson chief
believes it is a possibility that the victim inadvertently loaded the mortar canister upside
down in the launch tube. The victim was consuming alcohol at the time of the event.
• In July, and 18-year-old male was fatally wounded after lighting a mortar style firework in
a park. Police reported that the victim was struck by the mortar which killed the victim
instantly. The medical examiner listed the official cause of death as “Multiple blast-
related injuries to the head and neck, decapitation, avulsion of brain, multiple calvarial
and basilar skull fractures, facial fractures, and cervical vertebrae fractures. Fractures of
maxilla and mandible, multiple lacerations of the tongue, cutaneous abrasions,
contusions, and lacerations. Injuries to the torso, bilateral rib fractures and fracture of the
sternum and cutaneous abrasions, contusions, and lacerations of extremities.” No other
information regarding the incident was provided.
• In July, a 42-year-old male was killed when lighting off fireworks in the street near his
home. Nearby witnesses claimed that the victim lit a mortar-style device and placed the
mortar tube on top of his own head. When the device detonated the victim instantly fell
to the ground. A witness checked on the victim and noticed that he had severe wounds
to his hands and head. When emergency personnel arrived at the scene the victim was
pronounced deceased. Alcohol was being consumed at the time of the incident.
• In July, a 41-year-old male was killed by a lit firework device which struck the victim in
the torso, causing severe abdominal injuries at his home. Emergency services were
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contacted, and the victim was transported to the local hospital. Doctors pronounced the
victim deceased a brief time after his arrival.
Including the 11 deaths described above, CPSC staff has reports of 162 fireworks-related
deaths between 2007 and 2022, for an average of 10.1 deaths per year.
7
3. National Injury Estimates for 2022
Table 1 and Figure 1 present the estimated number of non-occupational, fireworks-
related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments between 2007 and 2022.
7
See previous reports in this series (e.g., the report for 2021: Smith, Marier and Timian (2022)). In the most recent
three years, the number of deaths included 20 deaths in 2019, 24 deaths in 2020, and 15 deaths in 2021. The data
from 2019 to 2021 have been updated based on new incident reports received by CPSC staff during 2022 and may
differ from previous reports.
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Table 1
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries: 2007-2022
Year
Estimated Injuries
Injuries per 100,00 People
2022 10,200 3.1
2021 11,500 3.5
2020
15,600
4.7
2019
10,000
3.0
2018
9,100
2.8
2017
12,900
4.0
2016
11,100
3.4
2015
11,900
3.7
2014
10,500
3.3
2013
11,400
3.6
2012
8,700
2.8
2011
9,600
3.1
2010
8,600
2.8
2009
8,800
2.9
2008
7,000
2.3
2007
9,800
3.3
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the
United States, Regions, States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2022 (NST-EST2022-
POP). Population Estimates for 2010 to 2020 are from Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United
States, Regions, States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019; April 1, 2020; and
July 1, 2020 (NST-EST-2020). Population estimates for 2007 to 2009 are from Table 1. Annual Estimates of the
Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000, to July 1, 2009 (NST-
EST2009). Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau
There is a statistically significant increasing trend in the fireworks-related injury
estimates from 2007 through 2022 (p-value=<0.0001).
8
The slope of the fitted trend line shows
an increase of about 535 injuries per year. In calendar year 2022, there were an estimated
10,200 fireworks-related, emergency department-treated injuries (95 percent confidence interval
7,800 – 12,500). There were an estimated 11,500 such injuries in 2020. The difference between
the injury estimates for 2021 and 2022 is not statistically significant (p-value = 0.2871).
8
For details on the method to evaluate a trend that incorporates the sampling design, see Schroeder (2000) and
Marker et al. (1999).
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Figure 1: Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries: 2007-
2022
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the
United States, Regions, States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2022 (NST-EST2022-
POP). Population Estimates for 2010 to 2020 are from Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United
States, Regions, States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019; April 1, 2020; and
July 1, 2020 (NST-EST-2020). Population estimates for 2007 to 2009 are from Table 1. Annual Estimates of the
Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000, to July 1, 2009 (NST-
EST2009). Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau
Appendix A contains a table showing estimated fireworks-related, emergency
department-treated injuries and fireworks imports between 2007 and 2022.
Table 2 shows that each year, the number of victims treated are mostly white, followed
by victims of an unknown race, Black victims, and victims of some other race. The “other” race
category contains Asian, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, and American Indian/Alaskan Native
individuals and multiracial individuals. CPSC began collecting ethnicity information in 2018,
which includes information about whether a victim is Hispanic; as a result, ethnicity information
cannot be included at this time for the full 2007-2022 period. However, for 2022 alone, there
were 6,400 injuries where the victim did not identify as Hispanic (62.7% of total), 800 injuries
where the victim identified as Hispanic (7.8% of total), and 3,000 injuries where the victim’s
ethnicity was unknown (29.4% of total).
Figure 2 shows the trend by race across years; there is a statistically significant upward
trend for both white victims (p = 0.0019) as well as Black victims (p = 0.0132), but not for “other”
race victims (p = 0.9549). Between the years 2021 and 2022, there was no significant change in
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
Injury Rates
Estimated Injuries
Year
Fireworks Injuries Injuries per 100,000 People
Trend (Fireworks Injuries) Trend (Injuries per 100,000 People)
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the number of white victims (p=0.5913) and neither Black nor “other” race victims experienced a
significant change.
When comparing the proportion of victims with a known race to the US population,
9
there were proportionately fewer white victims (69.9% of victims, 75.6% of the U.S. population
identifies as white), proportionately more black victims (20.5% of victims, 13.6% of the U.S.
population identifies as black), proportionately less victims associated with an “other” race (9.6%
of victims, 10.8% of the U.S. population identifies as another race).These percentages are
calculated using only the victims where race was collected. Victims with unknown race values
accounted for over 27.5% of all fireworks incidents in 2022.
9
Total U.S. Population race estimates obtained from Monthly Population Estimates for the United States: April 1,
2020 to December 1, 2023 (NA-EST2022-POP);
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Table 2
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Race:
2007-2022
Year
White
Black/African
American
Other
Unknown
Total
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
%
N
2007
5,500
56.8
800
8.6
500
5.6
3,000
29.0
9,800
2008
4,500
63.8
400
6.4
400
5.9
1,700
23.9
7,000
2009
6,000
68.6
600
7.4
400
4.9
1,700
19.1
8,800
2010
5,000
58.4
600
7.1
600
6.6
2,400
27.9
8,500
2011
5,800
60.8
800
8.7
1,200
12.6
1,700
17.9
9,600
2012
5,200
59.6
800
8.8
700
10.0
1,900
21.6
8,700
2013
6,800
60.0
600
5.4
1,000
9.2
2,900
25.4
11,400
2014
5,600
52.9
800
7.8
600
5.5
3,600
33.8
10,500
2015
6,400
53.7
1,000
8.3
1,000
8.5
3,500
29.5
11,900
2016
5,800
51.9
1,500
13.3
1,400
12.4
2,500
22.4
11,100
2017
7,100
54.9
800
6.3
1,600
12.5
3,400
26.4
12,900
2018
4,900
53.7
1,200
12.7
700
8.0
2,400
25.7
9,000
2019
5,500
54.7
1,500
14.9
400
3.8
2,700
26.6
10,000
2020
8,100
51.5
3,000
18.7
1,000
6.7
3,600
23.1
15,600
2021
5,600
49.1
1,700
14.7
600
5.2
3,600
31.0
11,500
2022
5,100
50.0
1,500
14.7
700
6.9
2,800
27.5
10,200
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Race percentages do not match the previous paragraph’s values, as incidents with unknown race values are included
in the calculations for Table 2.
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Figure 2: Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Race:
2007-2022
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
4. Injury Estimates for the 2022 Special Study:
Detailed Analysis of Injury Patterns
The injury analysis in this section presents the results of the 2022 special study of
fireworks-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments between June 17, 2022,
and July 17, 2022. During this period, there were an estimated 7,400 fireworks-related injuries
(sample size=168, 95 percent confidence interval 5,300 – 9,600) accounting for 73 percent of
the total estimated fireworks-related injuries for the year, which is not statistically lower than the
estimated 8,500 fireworks-related injuries in the 2021 special study period (p-value = 0.3876).
The remainder of this section provides the estimated fireworks-related, emergency
department-treated injuries from this period, broken down by fireworks device type, victims’
demographics, injury diagnosis, and body parts injured.
Fireworks Device Types and Estimated Injuries
Table 3 shows the estimated number and percent of emergency department-treated
injuries by type of fireworks device during the special study period of June 17, 2022, to July 17,
2022.
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Estimated Injuries
White Black/African-American
Other Trend (White)
Trend (Black/African-American) Trend (Other)
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Table 3
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Device
Type: June 17–July 17, 2022
Fireworks Device Type
Estimated Injuries
Percent
Total
7,400
100%
All Firecrackers
1,300
18%
Small
200
2%
Illegal
500
6%
Unspecified
700
9%
All Rockets
400
6%
Other Rockets
300
5%
Bottle Rockets
100
1%
Other Devices
1,500
20%
Multiple Tube
100
1%
Reloadable
100
2%
Roman Candles
400
6%
Novelties
200
2%
Sparklers
600
8%
Helicopters
100
2%
Homemade/Altered
*
*
Public Display
100
2%
Unknown
4,100
55%
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Based on 168 NEISS emergency department-reported
injuries between June 17, 2022, and July 17, 2022, and supplemented by 10 completed In-Depth Investigations.
Firework types are obtained from the in-depth investigation, when available; otherwise, firework types are identified
from information in victims’ reports to emergency department staff that were contained in the NEISS narrative. Illegal
firecrackers include M-80s, M-1000s, Quarter Sticks, and other firecrackers that are banned under CPSC’s FHSA
regulations (16 C.F.R. § 1500.17 (Banned hazardous substances)). Fireworks that may be illegal under state and
local regulations are not listed as illegal unless they violate the CPSC’s FHSA regulations. Estimates are rounded to
the nearest 100 injuries. Estimates of fewer than 50 injuries are denoted with an asterisk (*). Estimates may not sum
to subtotal or total due to rounding. Percentages are calculated from the actual estimates, and they may not add to
subtotals or the total due to rounding.
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There were 100 fireworks-related injuries that took place at public firework displays
during 2022. Unknown fireworks devices were associated with the most injuries during the 2022
special study period. Homemade/Altered devices were involved in less than 1 percent of the
total estimated injuries during the 2022 special study period.
Gender and Age of Injured Persons
Males experienced an estimated 3.0 fireworks-related, emergency department-treated
injuries per 100,000 individuals during the special study period. Females had 1.5 injuries per
100,000 people. Figure 3 shows the distribution of estimated fireworks-related injuries by
gender.
Figure 3: Estimated Injuries by Gender: June 17 – July 17, 2022
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Based on the special study between June 17, 2022,
and July 17, 2022.
Children under 5 years of age experienced an estimated 700 injuries (9.5 percent of all
fireworks-related injuries during the special study period), as shown in Figure 4 and Table 4.
Children in the 5- to 14-year-old age group experienced an estimated 1,400 injuries. Breaking
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down that age group further, children 5 to 9 years of age had an estimated 600 injuries and
children 10 to 14 years of age accounted for 800 injuries.
10
Figure 4: Percentage of Injuries by Age Group: June 17 – July 17, 2022
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Based on the special study between July 17, 2022, and
July 17, 2022.
The detailed breakdown by age and gender is shown in Table 4. The concentration of
injuries among males and people under 25 years of age has been typical of fireworks-related
injuries for many years.
10
The percentages are calculated from actual injury estimates, and age subcategory percentages may not sum to the
category percentage due to rounding.
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Table 4
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Age and
Gender: June 17–July 17, 2022
Age Group
Total
Per 100,000
People
Male
Female
Total
7,400
2.2
4,800
2,600
0-4
700
3.8
400
300
5-14
1,400
3.4
900
500
5-9
600
3.0
300
300
10-14
800
3.8
600
200
15-24
1,800
4.2
1,100
700
15-19
1,300
6.0
800
500
20-24
600
2.8
300
300
25-44
2,700
3.0
2,000
700
45-64
700
0.8
400
300
65+
200
0.4
100
100
Sources: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. NC-EST2021-ALLDATA: Monthly Population
Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021 (With short-
term projections to December 2022). Based on the special study between June 17, 2022, and July 17, 2022. The
oldest victim was 79 years of age. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 100 injuries. Estimates of fewer than 50
injuries are denoted with an asterisk (*). Age subcategory estimates may not sum to the category total due to
rounding.
When considering injury rates (number of injuries per 100,000 people), children and
young adults had higher estimated rates of injury than the other age groups during the 2022
special study period. Children aged 15 to 19 years had the highest estimated injury rate at 6.0
per 100,000 population. This was followed by 3.8 injuries per 100,000 people for both children
10 to 14 years of age and children ages 0 to 4 years. A general decrease is noted when
comparing the 2022 rates to the 2021 rates, except for children 15 to 19 years of age which saw
an increase from 2.9 injuries to 6.0 injuries per 100,000 people.
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Age and Gender of the Injured Persons by Type of Fireworks Device
Table 5 shows the ages of those injured by the type of fireworks device associated with
the injury. For children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for 29 percent of the total
estimated injuries for that specific age group.
11
Unknown fireworks devices accounted for 55
percent of all injuries during the special study period.
No clear relationship between age and known fireworks type is suggested by the data in
Table 5. It is worth noting that the number of estimated injuries does not completely represent
the usage pattern because victims are often injured by fireworks used by other people. This is
especially true for rockets and aerial shells (e.g., multiple tube and reloadable devices), which
can injure people located some distance away from where the fireworks are launched.
11
The percentages are calculated from the actual injury estimates.
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Table 5
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Device
Type and Age Group: June 17–July 17, 2022
Age Group
Fireworks Type
Total
0-4
5-14
15-24
25-44
45-64
65+
Total
7,400
700
1,400
1,800
2,700
700
200
All Firecrackers
1,300
*
200
400
600
100
*
Small
200
*
*
*
100
*
*
Illegal
500
*
*
100
300
100
*
Unspecified
700
*
200
300
200
*
*
All Rockets
400
*
*
100
300
100
*
Other Rockets
100
*
*
*
100
*
*
Bottle Rockets
300
*
*
100
200
100
*
Other Devices
1,500
300
600
200
300
*
*
Multiple Tube
100
*
*
*
100
*
*
Reloadable
100
*
100
*
*
*
*
Roman Candles
400
100
200
100
*
*
*
Novelties
200
*
100
100
*
*
*
Sparklers
600
200
300
*
100
*
*
Helicopters
100
*
*
*
100
*
*
Homemade/Altered
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Public Display
100
100
100
Unknown
4,100
300
600
1,100
1,500
400
100
Sources: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Based on the special study between June 17, 2022,
and July 17, 2022. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 100 injuries. Estimates of fewer than 50 injuries are denoted
with an asterisk (*). Age subcategory estimates may not sum to the category total due to rounding.
As shown previously in Figure 3, males accounted for 65 percent of the estimated
fireworks-related injuries, and females comprised 35 percent. Both males and females were
most often injured by an unknown fireworks device (57 percent for males, 51 percent for
females).
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Body Region Injured and Injury Diagnosis
Figure 5 presents the distribution of estimated emergency department-treated injuries by
the specific parts of the body injured. Hands and fingers were associated with an estimated
2,200 injuries. These were followed by an estimated 1,400 injuries for both the head/face/ear
region as well as the leg region; 1,200 eye injuries; 900 trunk/other injuries; and 400 arm
injuries.
Figure 5: Body Regions Injured: June 17 – July 17, 2022
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Based on the special study between June 17, 2022,
and July 17, 2022. Arm includes NEISS codes for upper arm, elbow, lower arm, shoulder, and wrist. Head/Face/Ear
regions include eyelid, eye area, nose, neck, and mouth but not the eyeball. Leg includes upper leg, knee, lower leg,
ankle, foot, and toe. Trunk/other regions includes chest, abdomen, pubic region, “all parts of body,” internal, and “25-
50 percent of body.”
Figure 6 shows the diagnoses of the estimated injuries associated with fireworks
devices. Burns were associated with 2,800 estimated injuries and was the most frequent
diagnosis. Contusions, lacerations, and abrasions were associated with 2,200 estimated
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injuries. Fractures and sprains accounted for 500 estimated injuries. All other diagnoses
accounted for 1,900 estimated injuries
12
Figure 6: Types of Injuries: June 17 – July 17, 2022
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Based on the special study between June 17, 2022,
and July 17, 2022. Fractures and sprains also include dislocations. “Other diagnoses” include all other injury
categories. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
As shown in Table 6, burns accounted for over half (59 percent) of the injuries to
hands/fingers. As a single-diagnosis category, burns caused the most injuries to trunk/other
regions, arm region, and Leg region. Contusions and lacerations were the most frequent injuries
to the head/face/ear regions. Other diagnoses were most associated with injuries in the eye
region.
12
Estimated injuries may not sum to the total due to rounding. Percentages are calculated from the actual injury
estimates.
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Table 6
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Body
Region and Diagnosis: June 17–July 17, 2022
Diagnosis
Body Region Total Burns
Contusions/
Lacerations
Fractures/
Sprains
Other
Diagnoses
Total
7,400
2,800
2,200
500
1,900
Arm
400
300
200
*
*
Eye
1,200
*
500
*
700
Head/Face/Ear
1,400
200
800
100
200
Hand/Finger
2,200
1,300
200
200
500
Leg 1,400 600 300 100 300
Trunk/Other 900 400 200 * 200
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Based on the special study between June 17, 2022,
and July 17, 2022. Fractures and sprains also include dislocations. “Other diagnoses” include all other injury
categories. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 100 injuries. Estimates of fewer than 50 injuries are denoted with an
asterisk (*). Estimated injuries may not sum to subtotals or totals due to rounding.
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Types of Fireworks Devices and Body Regions Injured
Table 7 presents estimated injuries by the type of fireworks device and body region
injured.
Table 7
Estimated Fireworks-Related, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries by Type of
Fireworks Device and Body Region Injured: June 17–July 17, 2022
Region of the Body Injured
Fireworks Type Total Arm Eye
Head/Face/
Ear
Hand/Finger Leg
Trunk/
Other
Total
7,400
400
1,200
1,400
2,200
1,400
900
All Firecrackers
1,300
100
200
100
500
200
100
Small
200
*
100
*
*
*
Illegal
500
100
100
*
200
100
*
Unspecified
700
*
100
*
300
100
100
All Rockets
400
*
*
100 100 200 *
Other Rockets
100
*
*
* * 100 *
Bottle Rockets
300
*
*
100 100 100 *
Other Devices
1,500
*
200
100
800
200
200
Multiple Tube
100
*
*
*
*
100
*
Reloadable
100
*
100
*
*
*
*
Roman Candles
400
*
100
100
300
*
*
Novelties
200
*
*
*
200
*
*
Sparklers
600
*
*
*
300 100 100
Helicopters
100
*
*
*
* * 100
Homemade/Altered
*
*
*
*
*
*
Public Display
100
*
*
100
*
100
*
Unknown
4,500
300
800
1,000
900
600
600
Source: NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Based on the special study between June 17, 2022,
and July 17, 2022. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 100 injuries. Estimates of fewer than 50 injuries are denoted
with an asterisk (*). Estimated injuries may not sum to subtotals or totals due to rounding.
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Most injuries resulted from fireworks devices of an unknown type; this uncertainty results
from victims’ (or parent/guardians’) inability to identify the firework device that injured them,
when asked.
Hospital Treatment
An estimated 88 percent of the victims of fireworks-related injuries in the special study
period were treated at the emergency department and then released; about 5 percent of the
victims were admitted to the hospital. Approximately 5 percent of the victims were treated and
then transferred to another hospital. The remaining 2 percent of victims had other dispositions
(i.e., left the hospital without being seen or were held for observation).
13
The percentage of
victims that were treated and admitted, held for observation, or left without being seen for
fireworks-related injuries was lower than for all consumer products in 2022. The percentages of
those “treated and released” and “treated and transferred” and were higher for the fireworks-
related injuries in the special study period than those for all consumer products.
For all injuries associated with consumer products in 2022, 85 percent of patients were
treated and released; 10 percent were admitted to the hospital; 1 percent of patients were
transferred to other hospitals; and 4 percent had other dispositions, including left hospital
without being seen, held for observation, or deceased on arrival.
14
5. Telephone Investigations of Fireworks-Related
Injuries
CPSC staff conducted in-depth telephone investigations of a sample of fireworks
incidents that occurred during the 1-month special study period surrounding the 4
th
of July
holiday (June 17, 2022, to July 17, 2022). Completed telephone investigations provided more
detail about incidents and injuries than the emergency department information summarized in
the narrative in the NEISS record. During the telephone interview, respondents were asked how
the injury occurred (hazard pattern); what medical care they received following the emergency-
department treatment; and what long-term effects, if any, resulted from their injury.
Respondents were also asked detailed questions about the fireworks involved in the incident,
including their type, markings, and where they were obtained.
13
The percentages are calculated from actual injury estimates and may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
14
Comparisons are calculated using actual injury estimates and differences may not appear due to rounding.
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Cases were selected for telephone investigations based on the information provided in
the NEISS narrative and coded information in the NEISS records. The selection criteria
included: (1) unusual hazard patterns, (2) severity of the injury, and (3) lack of clear information
in the narrative about the type of fireworks associated with the injury. For these reasons, and
because many victims did not respond, the telephone investigation cases cannot be considered
typical of fireworks-related injuries.
From the 171-emergency department-treated, fireworks-related injuries during the
special study period, staff selected 91 cases for telephone investigations, of which 10 were
completed and determined to be in scope, 1 was completed and determined to be out of scope,
and 80 were incomplete. Table 8 shows the final status of these investigations, including the
reasons why some investigations were incomplete.
Table 8
Final Status of Telephone Investigations
Final Case Status
Number of
Cases
Percent
Total Assigned
91
100
Completed Investigation
11
12
In Scope
10
11
Out of Scope
1
1
Incomplete Investigation
80
88
Failed to Reach Patient
41
45
Victim Name Not Provided by Hospital
31
34
Victim Refused to Cooperate
8
9
Short descriptions of the 10 completed in-scope cases are found in Appendix B. The
cases are organized in order of emergency department disposition, with Admitted (to the
hospital) first, followed by Treated and Released, and Left without Being Seen by a Doctor.
Within dispositions, cases are in order of increasing age of the victim.
Summary Statistics
Of the 10 completed in-scope cases, 7 involved males, and 3 involved females. There
were four victims aged 5 to 14 years old; four victims aged 15 to 33 years old; and two victims
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aged 34 to 59. Two victims were admitted to the hospital, seven victims were treated and
released, and one victim left without being seen.
The fireworks devices consisted of four reloadable aerial shells,
15
one roman candle, one
small firecracker, one novelty device, and three unspecified devices.
The distribution of the types of fireworks and the emergency department dispositions
differs from the special study data in Section 4. These differences reflect the focus in the
telephone investigations into more serious injuries and incomplete NEISS records. Twelve
percent of the victims selected for the telephone interviews completed the survey.
Hazard Patterns
The hazard patterns described below are based on the incident descriptions obtained
during the telephone investigations and summarized in Appendix B. When an incident had two
or more hazard patterns, staff selected the hazard pattern most likely to have caused the injury.
Hazard patterns are presented in Table 9 below, and a detailed description of the incidents
follows Table 9. Case numbers refer to the case numbers shown in Appendix B.
Table 9
Hazard Patterns as Described in Telephone Investigations for Fireworks-Related
Injuries
Hazard Pattern
Number of In-scope
Cases
Percent of Total
Total Cases
10
100%
Malfunction
5
50%
Misfire
3
30%
Errant Flightpath of Debris
2
20%
Misuse
5
50%
Improper Preparation
5
50%
15
The category “aerial shells” includes multiple tube, reloadable mortars, and rockets, but excludes bottle rockets.
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Malfunction (5 Victims, 50 percent of total)
Misfire
• Case 1: A 19-year-old male victim was with friends when they decided to set off a roman
candle-type device. Once the victim lit the device it immediately exploded hitting the
victim in the face. The victim went back to his car and witnesses took him to the
emergency department. Once arriving plans were made to transfer the victim to a nearby
hospital that was better equipped for the emergency eye surgery the victim needed. The
victim underwent eye surgery which involved the layers of his cornea being peeled back
to clean out the debris. The victim also had a cut on his forehead that required stitches.
The victim fully recovered from the eye surgery after two weeks and the injury to his
forehead healed after 1 month. There are no long-term consequences expected
because of the incident.
• Case 2: A 49-year-old male victim was lighting a mortar-style device when the firework
shot out of the side of the tube. The victim was taken to the emergency department
where he was treated for a grade 5 liver blast injury, right colon contusions, diaphragm
injury, right lung contusions, blast injury to both hands, and hemorrhagic shock. The
victim lost his right thumb, two ribs, and his spleen because of the event. The victim’s
wounds were cleaned, stitched, and cast by medical professionals. The victim reported
that his wounds took 6 months to heal properly.
• Case 7: A 23-year-old male victim was lighting a multiple tube device when the firework
immediately detonated. The device blew up in the victim’s face and burned his hands
and right arm. The victim attempted to treat himself with over-the-counter products but
decided to go to the emergency department the next morning. Once there, emergency
personnel cut the burns open and cleaned and bandaged the area. The victim saw a
burn specialist three days later and was given cream and an antibiotic for the wounds.
He was also supplied with bandages, wraps, and an arm band to protect the wound from
sun exposure. The victim returned to the burn specialist weekly to change bandages,
clean the wounds, and refill prescriptions. The victim fully recovered after 3 months. The
victim has no long-term consequences besides a lighter complexion to the healed burn
wounds.
Errant Flightpath of Debris
• Case 6: A 13-year-old female victim was with family watching neighbors set off
fireworks. The victim was approximately 8 feet away from the device when she felt a
“little pinch” on her left leg. It is believed that lit debris fell from the sky and landed on the
victim’s leg, although she had long sweatpants on. The victim was taken to the
emergency department where medical professionals cleaned and wrapped the wound.
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The victim’s parents stated that it took 6 months for the injuries to fully heal. The victim is
not expected to suffer long term consequences from the event.
• Case 10: A 33-year-old female victim was at a sporting event where they were
performing a firework show after the game. The victim was looking up at the fireworks
when debris landed into her eyes. The victim left the area and went to get help and
water. Flushing the debris did not help and the victim went to the emergency
department. Medical professionals dilated both eyes and gave numbing drops to the
victim. The victims eyeball lens was inspected for damage. Medical professionals
prescribed medication for the damage to both corneas. The victim was discharged and
was told not to rub their eyes and not to drive until the eye fully healed. The victim stated
that it took them 5 days to recover from their injuries. The victim is not expected to suffer
long term consequences from the incident.
Misuse (5 Victims, 50 percent of total)
Improper Preparation
• Case 3: A 5-year-old male victim was helping their father light an unknown firework
device when a foreign body entered his eye from the sparks. The victim was taken to the
emergency department where medical professionals flushed and examined the eye. It
was determined that no damage occurred, and the victim was released. The victim’s
parents stated that the injury fully healed in less than 24 hours. The victim is not
expected to suffer long term consequences from the incident.
• Case 4: A 6-year-old male victim was with an older sibling when they found small
firecracker devices. The older child put two of the devices together and topped them with
gunpowder and told the victim to light the devices. The parent, who was not present,
saw the victim rubbing his face and saw the skin peeling off. The mother brought the
child inside and threw cold water in his face and called 911. Paramedics arrived and
took the victim to the emergency department. At the emergency department the victim
was given pain medication as well as burn cream to apply to the wounds at home. The
mother stated that it took about a week for the skin to heal and a month for the victims’
eyelashes to grow back. The mother stated that the injuries are no longer visible, and no
long-term consequences are expected.
• Case 5: A 14-year-old male victim lit a smoke bomb device in his hand when it exploded.
The victim was in pain and immediately ran to his grandmother. The grandmother put
cold water on the injury and called the victim’s mother. When the mother arrived, she
placed an ice pack on the injury and drove the victim to the hospital. At the hospital
medical professionals gave the victim pain medication and cleaned the wound and was
released. The victim attended physical therapy twice to “stretch” the skin around the
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thumb to maintain full mobility. The victim is not expected to suffer long term
consequences from the incident.
• Case 8: A 24-year-old male victim lit a rocket-type device and threw it on the ground.
Upon detonation the device went “the wrong direction” and went up the victim’s pant leg.
The victim suffered burns to his right leg between the knee and inner thigh. The victim
went to the emergency department and was examined by medical professionals.
Medical personnel determined that there was no obvious permanent damage, and the
victim was released. The victim is not expected to suffer any long-term consequences.
• Case 9: A 42-year-old female was watching friend’s light fireworks and was walking
around. While she was walking, she heard “Watch out!” but was not able to react quick
enough. The unknown device struck the victim in the lower leg. The victim stated that the
wound felt hot while in the shower. She rubbed a topical cream in the injury and went to
the emergency department. Emergency personnel placed gel strips on the wound and
instructed the victim to visit complex care the following day to receive treatment for her
first- and second-degree burns. After visiting complex care, they instructed her to come
in daily to change the bandage/dressing until it was fully healed, which took three weeks.
The victim is not expected to suffer any long-term consequences besides the scarring on
the injury site.
Long Term Consequences of Fireworks-Related Injuries
Respondents were asked if there were any long-term consequences of their injuries.
Eight of the ten victims (80 percent of the total) experienced or expected complete recovery,
with no long-term consequences. However, two victims described their expected long-term
adverse consequences:
• Case 2: A reloadable aerial shell device struck the victim’s chest. The victim lost a
thumb, two ribs and their spleen because of the incident.
• Case 9: An unknown device hit the victim in the lower leg. The victim suffered long-term
scarring because of her first- and second-degree burns.
Where Fireworks Were Obtained
Of the 10 telephone survey respondents, four knew where the fireworks were obtained.
Two respondents stated that the fireworks were purchased from a store and two respondents
state that the fireworks were purchased from a stand that exclusively sells fireworks.
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Six of the 10 respondents did not know the source of the fireworks. This is typically the
case when the respondent did not purchase the firework that caused injury.
6. Enforcement Activities
During fiscal year 2022, CPSC’s Office of Compliance and Field Operations continued to
work closely with other federal agencies to conduct surveillance on consumer fireworks and to
enforce the provisions of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.
Approximately 43% percent of the selected and tested products were found to contain
noncompliant fireworks. These noncompliant fireworks devices had a combined estimated
import value of $443,000. The violations consisted of fuse violations, presence of prohibited
chemicals, burnout or blowout, and pyrotechnic materials overload. Compared to previous
years, the percentage of tested products determined to be violative was significantly higher;
CPSC will closely monitor fireworks-related violations to determine if the rate of noncompliance
during fiscal year 2022 was anomalous.
7. Summary
In the calendar year 2022, there were 11 reported non-occupational fireworks-related
deaths. However, reporting for 2022 may not be complete at this time. There were an estimated
10,200 fireworks-related emergency department-treated injuries for calendar year 2022.
During the 1-month special study period from June 17, 2022, to July 17, 2022, there
were an estimated 7,400 emergency department-treated fireworks-related injuries. Adults aged
25 to 44 years of age experienced about 36 percent of the estimated injuries, and males of all
ages experienced 65 percent of the estimated injuries, up from 59 percent in 2021.
Additionally, 26 percent of the estimated injuries during the special study period involved
an injury diagnosis of “Other” which included debris landing in the eye, the device striking the
eye, potential hearing loss, etc. The estimated injuries were evenly distributed with regards to
the body part that was affected, although the hand/finger region accounted for the highest
amount accounting for 29 percent. Thirty-eight percent of the estimated injuries during the
special study period involved burns. Burns were the most common injury to hands/fingers, arms,
legs, as well as the trunk/other region. The parts of the body most often injured were hands and
fingers (an estimated 30 percent of the injuries); followed by head, face, and ears (19 percent);
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legs (19 percent); eyes (16 percent); trunk/unspecified (12 percent); and arms (5 percent).
16
Most of the estimated injuries (88 percent) were treated-and-released. An estimated 10 percent
were treated and transferred to another hospital or admitted to the hospital where the
emergency department was located. The remaining 2 percent of victims had other dispositions
(i.e., left the hospital without being seen or were held for observation).
Among the diverse types of fireworks, sparklers were involved in 8 percent of the
estimated injuries during the special study period; this is a decrease from 13 percent in 2021.
Firecrackers were involved in 18 percent, rocket-type devices as well as roman candles both
accounted for 5 percent of injuries, novelties were associated with 3 percent of injuries, and
reloadable tube devices, multiple tube devices, helicopters, and public displays were all
associated with 1 percent of injuries each. Most fireworks-related injuries, 61 percent, were
associated with unknown firework device types.
17
A review of data from telephone follow-up investigations showed that the typical causes
of injuries were due to both the malfunction and misuse of fireworks. At the time of the
telephone investigation, which was conducted typically 1 to 2 months after the injury, most
victims had recovered from their injuries. Two of the 10 respondents interviewed reported that
the injury will be long term.
Finally, in fiscal year 2022, CPSC staff continued to actively monitor import shipments of
fireworks and products in the marketplace. CPSC staff worked with the U.S. Customs and
Border Protection agency to sample imported fireworks. Compliance staff conducted inspections
at fireworks retailers to collect samples for analysis and testing for compliance with mandatory
requirements.
16
The percentages are calculated from actual injury estimates and may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
17
The percentages are calculated from actual injury estimates and may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
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References
Marker D, Lo A, Brick M and Davis W (1999), “Comparison of National Estimates from Different
Samples and Different Sampling Frames of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System
(NEISS),” Final Report prepared for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by Westat,
Inc. Rockville, MD.
Schroeder T (2000), “Trend Analysis of NEISS Data.” U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission, Washington, DC.
Schroeder T and Ault K (2001), “The NEISS Sample (Design and Implementation), 1997 to
Present” U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC.
http://www.cpsc.gov//PageFiles/106617/2001d011-6b6.pdf
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Appendix A
Fireworks-Related Injuries and Imported Fireworks
Table 10 reports the total estimated number of injuries per 100,000 pounds of imported
fireworks. Table 10 shows an average of 258.7 million pounds of fireworks were imported each
year between 2007 and 2022, with a standard deviation of 72.1 million pounds. Between 2007
and 2010, the number of imports declined from a peak of 260.1 million pounds in 2007 to a low
of 199.6 million pounds in 2010. From 2011 to 2014, the number of imports was relatively
steady with modest changes for some years. In 2015, fireworks imports reached their highest
level since 2005, with an estimated 279.5 million pounds. Since 2015, the imports have
remained relatively high compared to the 2008 to 2014 period. The year 2021 had 415.9 million
pounds of imports. This 2021 value surpassed the previous high of 277.5 million pounds in 2018
by 138.4 million pounds. In 2022, the gross weight import value stands at 449.1 million pounds.
This surpasses the previous high over the last 15 years (2021) by over 33 million pounds.
As for the number of estimated emergency department-treated fireworks-related injuries,
2018, with 9,100 injuries, had the lowest since 2013. The highest three annual estimated
fireworks-related injuries were 15,600 in 2020, 12,900 in 2017, and 11,900 in 2015.The 2022
total of 10,200 fireworks-related injuries was the eighth highest number of injuries in the 2007-
2022 period.
As shown in Table 10 below, the estimated number of injuries per 100,000 pounds of
fireworks imported was 2.3 in 2022.The 2022 value is the smallest estimated number of injuries
per 100,000 pounds of fireworks in the 15-year period. The highest three estimated number of
injuries per 100,000 pounds of fireworks were 6.3 injuries in 2013, 6.1 in 2020, and 5.2 injuries
in 2017. The large decrease in injuries per 100,000 pounds of fireworks for 2022 stemmed from
the substantial increase in overall imports. 2022 experienced the largest number of fireworks
imports in the 15-year period with 33.7 million pounds of imports more than the second largest
(2021) and 169.6 million pounds of imports more than the third largest (2015).
Table 10 should be interpreted with caution. First, while there may be a relationship
between the number of fireworks devices and estimated injuries resulting from fireworks, the
number of imported fireworks is not available. Table 10 uses the total import weight as an
approximation for the number of fireworks devices.
Second, the total import weight over-represents heavy devices and under-represents
light devices. A heavy device may not be more dangerous than a light device because a
firework’s weight includes things other than just the amount of explosive material.
In addition, international trade statistics do not provide weight by fireworks device types. It is not
possible to associate injuries with the weight of distinct types of imported fireworks. As shown in
Table 2 earlier in this report, different fireworks devices are associated with different numbers of
injuries. Thus, the decrease in injuries per 100,000 pounds between 2014 and 2016 may be due
to different mixtures of types of fireworks imported over time or an overall decrease in injuries
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among all types of fireworks. Similarly, the increase in injuries per 100,000 pounds in 2013 may
have resulted from different fireworks mixtures, a decrease in importation of fireworks, or just
statistical variation. The data do not provide enough information to determine the relative
contribution of these factors.
Table 10
Estimated Fireworks-Related Injuries and Estimated Fireworks Imported into the
United States by Weight: 2007-2022
Year
Estimated Injuries
Estimated Fireworks
Imports (millions of
pounds)
¥
Injuries Per 100,000
Pounds of Fireworks
Imported
2022
10,200
449.1
2.3
2021
11,500
415.4
2.8
2020
15,600
255.0
6.1
2019
10,000
256.5
3.9
2018
9,100
277.5
3.3
2017
12,900
247.0
5.2
2016
11,100
262.4
4.2
2015
11,900
279.5
4.3
2014
10,500
219.6
4.8
2013
11,400
180.2
6.3
2012
8,700
201.0
4.3
2011
9,600
228.1
4.2
2010
8,600
199.6
4.3
2009
8,800
200.2
4.4
2008
7,000
208.3
3.4
2007
9,800
260.1
3.8
Source: Injuries from NEISS, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. See Table 1 for further details. Estimated
fireworks imports data from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), using Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS
code 3604.10). Imports include consumer fireworks (1.4G HTS codes 3604.10.90.10 and 3604.10.90.50) and display
fireworks (1.3G HTS code 3604.10.10.00). Display fireworks were about 4.1 percent of the total imports in 2022. In
addition to imported fireworks used in the United States, there is also a small number of fireworks manufactured in
the United States for domestic consumption; the data for these fireworks is not available from ITC and is not shown in
this table.
¥
Fireworks imports data were downloaded from the ITC website in May 2023. Fireworks imports data subject to
change by ITC. These changes have typically been minor.
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Appendix B
Telephone Investigations
Case
Age
Sex
Diagnosis
Body
Part
Disposition
Fireworks
Type
Narrative
Medical
Treatment and
Prognosis
Long Term
Consequences
Hazard
Source
1
19
M
Laceration
Face
Treated and
admitted for
hospitalization
Roman
Candle
The victim was with
friends when they
decided to set off a
roman candle-type
device. Once the
victim lit the device it
immediately exploded
hitting the victim in
the face. The victim
went back to his car
and witnesses took
him to the emergency
department. Once
arriving plans were
made to transfer the
victim to a nearby
hospital that was
better equipped for
the emergency eye
surgery the victim
needed.
The victim had
emergency eye
surgery involving
the layers of the
Cornea being
peeled back for
cleaning. The
victim was also
given stitches for
the cut on their
forehead.
No long-term
consequences.
Malfunction
, Misfire
Unknown
2
49
M
Internal
Organ Injury
Upper
Trunk
Treated and
admitted for
hospitalization
Reloadable
Aerial Shell
The victim was
lighting a mortar-style
device when the
firework shot out of
the side of the tube.
The victim was taken
to the emergency
department where he
was treated for a
grade 5 liver blast
injury, right colon
contusions,
diaphragm injury,
The victim's
wounds were
cleaned, stitched,
and casted by
medical
professionals.
The victim lost a
thumb, two ribs,
and their spleen.
Malfunction
, Misfire
Fireworks
Stand
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right lung contusions,
blast injury to both
hands, and
hemorrhagic shock.
3
5
M
Foreign
Body
Eyeball
Treated and
released
Reloadable
Aerial Shell
The victim was
helping their father
light reloadable aerial
shell firework device
when a foreign body
entered his eye from
the sparks. The victim
was immediately
taken to the
emergency
department.
Medical
professionals
flushed and
examined the
eye. It was
determined that
no damage
occurred.
No long-term
consequences.
Misuse,
improper
preparation
Fireworks
Stand
4
6
M
Burns,
thermal
Face
Treated and
released
Firecracker,
Small
The victim was with
an older sibling when
they found small
firecracker devices.
The older child put
two of the devices
together and topped
them with gunpowder
and told the victim to
light the devices. The
parent, who was not
present, saw the
victim rubbing his
face and saw the skin
peeling off. The
mother brought the
child inside and threw
cold water in his face
and called 911.
Paramedics arrived
and took the victim to
The victim was
given pain
medication as
well as cream for
the burns.
No long-term
consequences.
Misuse,
improper
preparation
Store
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the emergency
department.
5
14
M
Burns,
Thermal
Hand
Treated and
released
Ground
Spinner or
Novelty
Device
The victim lit a smoke
bomb device in his
hand when it
exploded. The victim
was in pain and
immediately ran to his
grandmother. The
grandmother put cold
water on the injury
and called the victim’s
mother. When the
mother arrived, she
placed an ice pack on
the injury and drove
the victim to the
hospital.
The victim was
given pain
medication and
the wound was
cleaned and
wrapped by
medical
professionals.
The victim
attended physical
therapy to
"Stretch the skin"
around the thumb.
No long-term
consequences
Misuse,
Improper
preparation
Unknown
6
13
F
Burns,
Thermal
Lower
leg
Treated and
released
Unknown
The victim was with
family watching
neighbors set off
fireworks. The victim
was approximately 8
feet away from the
device when she felt
a “little pinch” on her
left leg. It is believed
that lit debris fell from
the sky and landed on
the victim’s leg,
although she had
long sweatpants on.
The victim’s
wounds were
cleaned and
wrapped by
medical
professionals and
then discharged.
No long-term
consequences
Malfunction
,
errant
flightpath of
debris
Unknown
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7
23
M
Burns,
thermal
Lower
arm
Treated and
released
Multiple tube
device
The victim was
lighting a multiple
tube device when the
firework immediately
detonated. The
device blew up in the
victim’s face and
burned his hands and
right arm. The victim
attempted to treat
himself with over-the-
counter products but
decided to go to the
emergency
department the next
morning.
Emergency
department
personnel cut the
burn marks open
and cleaned the
area. The victim
visited a burn
specialist three
days later. The
victim was then
given cream and
an antibiotic. The
victim was given
bandages, wraps,
and an arm brand
to protect the burn
from sun damage.
No long-term
consequences
Malfunction
,
misfire
Store
8
24
M
Burns,
Thermal
Upper
leg
Treated and
released
Rocket
The victim lit a rocket-
type device and threw
it on the ground.
Upon detonation the
device went “the
wrong direction” and
went up the victim’s
pant leg. The victim
suffered burns to his
right leg between the
knee and inner thigh.
The victim was
examined by the
emergency
department and
was released with
no obvious
permanent
damage.
No long-term
consequences
Misuse,
improper
preparation
Unknown
9
42
F
Burns,
Thermal
Lower
leg
Treated and
released
Unknown
The victim was
watching friend’s light
fireworks and was
walking around. While
she was walking, she
heard “Watch out!”
but was not able to
react quick enough.
The unknown device
struck the victim in
the lower leg. The
victim stated that the
The victim was
given gel strips
and instructed to
follow up with
complex care as
they suffered both
first- and second-
degree burns.
No long-term
consequences
besides the
scarring at the
burn site
Misuse,
improper
preparation
Unknown
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UNDER CPSA 6(b)(1)
2022 Fireworks Annual Report | June 2023 | cpsc.gov
44
wound felt hot while
in the shower. She
rubbed a topical
cream in the injury
and went to the
emergency
department.
10
33
F
Other/Not
stated
Eyeball
Left without
being seen
Unknown
victim was at a
sporting event where
they were performing
a firework show after
the game. The victim
was looking up at the
fireworks when debris
landed into her eyes.
The victim left the
area and went to get
help and water.
Flushing the debris
did not help and the
victim went to the
emergency
department.
Medical
professionals
dilated both eyes
and gave
numbing drops to
the victim. The
victims eyeball
lens was
inspected for
damage. Medical
professionals
prescribed
medication for the
damage to both
corneas. The
victim was
discharged and
was told not to
rub their eyes and
not to drive until
the eye fully
healed.
No long-term
consequences
Malfunction
, errant
flightpath of
debris
Unknown
THIS DOCUMENT HAS NOT BEEN REVIEWED
OR ACCEPTED BY THE COMMISSION
CLEARED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
UNDER CPSA 6(b)(1)
