New Year’s fireworks cause estimated 400 injuries

? The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that about 400 revelers hoping to start 2004 off with a bang will be injured by fireworks at backyard parties and other New Year’s gatherings.

The agency’s estimate was based on government data on emergency room injuries during the last seven years. Injuries range from the loss of fingers and hands to severe burns and shrapnel wounds.

July obviously is the biggest month for fireworks injuries, averaging about 6,000 each year. Lagging far behind in second place was June with 800 injuries. December and January each average about 400 injuries.

CPSC is aware of 22 deaths from fireworks since 2000.

Illegal fireworks are the commission’s biggest concern. Chairman Hal Stratton said that all too often, M-80s M-1000s and Cherry Bombs are finding their way into the hands of consumers.

“They’re explosives. They can be very dangerous, and I think it’s an area that we want to make sure that we carry out our charge of keeping products safe for consumers,” Stratton said in an interview. “Once you see a pattern … at some point you decide to start taking action and clamping down.”

Traditionally known most for its toy recalls, the agency has increased enforcement efforts against fireworks violators. It has joined with other agencies in undercover work that led to prison terms in the past year for at least seven people, including a man in Indiana sentenced to more than six years in prison for selling professional fireworks to consumers.

Fireworks that contain more than 50 milligrams of flash powder are illegal, according to CPSC. M-1000s, for example, have about 27,000 milligrams of explosives — approximately 500 times the legal limit for consumers.

Legal fireworks have a label stating their permitted use by consumers, Stratton said.