Peg Dolan first learned about the danger of fireworks as a child. An 8-year-old playmate was lighting a firecracker when it exploded in the boy's face.
The boy lost sight in his left eye.
``You just never forget when you are that little. And obviously, it's affected him for a lifetime,'' Dolan said.
As pediatric emergency physician at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in Richmond for four years, Dolan has treated children injured from fireworks. She heads the Committee on Injury and Poison Prevention's Virginia chapter.
``Fortunately, I have not seen any of the really serious burn-and-blast injuries. I've treated what are the most common injuries - burns,'' she said.
Burns account for the largest percent of fireworks injuries, and about half are head injuries.
Virginia does not track fireworks-related injuries. But a study at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City estimates that more than 12,600 Americans, half of them children, are treated in emergency rooms every year for injuries caused by fireworks.
Researchers looked at admissions of children to Children's Mercy emergency rooms from 1972 to 1993, Dolan said. They found that 95 percent of the 316 children were injured during the three-week period around the Fourth of July - June 22 to July 14.
The average number of patients each year was 14, and their ages ranged from one month to 17 years old. One child died in the operating room from massive blast injuries.
``In about 25 percent of the cases, the child was a bystander,'' Dolan said. An adult was present in more than half the cases.
Class C firecrackers, which Dolan called ``safe and sane devices,'' accounted for 42 percent of injuries. Class C fireworks include sparklers, Roman candles, fountains and jumping jacks.
Class B fireworks include M-80s, cherry bombs and firecrackers with more than 50 milligrams of powder - all of which are illegal in Virginia.
``Children think it is fun to walk around with sparklers, which are legal in Virginia. But they don't realize the tip of a sparkler can reach 1,000 degrees and cause serious burns,'' Dolan said.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offers these safety tips for using fireworks:
* Do not allow young children to play with fireworks under any circumstance. The sparkler, which is considered "safe" for children, burns at a very high temperature and can easily ignite clothing.
* Older children should only be permitted to use fireworks under close adult supervision.
* Do not allow running or horseplay near fireworks.
* Read and follow all warning instructions on the labels.
* Light fireworks outdoors in a clear area away from houses, dry leaves or grass and away from all flammable materials, i.e. gasoline cans.
* Keep a bucket of water nearby for emergencies and for dousing fireworks that don't go off.
* Do not try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Douse and soak them with water, then throw them away.
* Never ignite fireworks in a container, especially a glass or metal container.
* Be sure people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
* Watch for falling debris.
* Store fireworks in a dry, cool place. Check instructions for special storage directions.
David Chernicky can be reached at 247-4743.