SCI-TECH

The nation is nearing July 4th, so you know what that means: traffic, hot dogs, and a dramatic uptick in the number of absolutely avoidable fireworks-related accidents. Thousands of people are hurt every year due to pyrotechnic mishaps. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that there were about 14,700 incidents and 11 reported deaths in 2024 alone—a 52- and 38-percent year-over-year increase for each respective outcome. There were also about 1,700 emergency room visits last year thanks to misused or malfunctioning fireworks, over a third of which related to hand and finger injuries.

But as a recent CPSC public service announcement posted to social media makes clear, bodily extremities aren’t the only bits to look out for while celebrating American independence. On Bluesky, your national product safety experts issued a friendly reminder that fireworks are liable to behave exactly as miniature, gunpowder-laden bombs are designed to behave: That is to say, explode with enough force to behead you.

Do not – launch fireworks – off your body – this July 4th – America.

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— U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (@cpsc.gov) June 30, 2025 at 11:14 AM

The brief PSA and its pop music soundtrack are on brand for the CPSC’s yearslong, tongue-in-cheek social media strategy. Still, it’s hard not to get the message after watching an adult-sized mannequin suddenly rendered into a cloud of debris after a standard-sized mortar tube ignites in its hands.

But even if the vast majority of fireworks enthusiasts don’t engage in such explicitly reckless behavior, the CPSC also provided a longer montage of various common misuses, including an activity as benign as  holding a sparkler too close to another person. A single sparkler heats to around 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to ignite clothing, burn skin, and even melt some metals. An errant bottle rocket can even travel fast enough to blind a victim. Lighting a “cherry bomb” style firework while holding it can easily become the last thing that hand ever does. The video also vividly illustrates why it’s vital no one ever looks directly down the barrel of a mortar.

The CPSC recommends a few extra steps to ensure the safest celebration possible. Keep a garden hose or water bucket nearby just in case of accidental fires, and be sure to double-check the firework regulations in your area. Follow all instructions and warnings on your fireworks, using only one at a time. Never attempt to re-light or pick-up one that misfires or proves to be a dud. And, of course, let someone else oversee your recreational explosives if you have been drinking or using any drugs.

It’s all good information to keep in mind. But even if some of the advice seems obvious, warnings like the CPSC’s concise social media summary occasionally bear repeating:

“Do not – launch fireworks – off your body – this July 4th – America,” commands the commission.

The post CPSC stresses firework safety with 7-minute montage of mannequin mayhem appeared first on Popular Science.