Ohio adults gearing up to celebrate Independence Day on Thursday might want to skip the bottle rockets and Roman candles and stick to sparklers instead.
It’s a first-degree misdemeanor to launch fireworks in Ohio – though state law does allow for the purchase of fireworks.
There’s good reason to leave fireworks to the professionals: Thousands of amateur operators injure themselves every year, suffering burns on their hands and fingers and damage to their eyes. Fireworks set off in residential areas can also spark house fires.
Children are especially vulnerable to firework-related injuries – including burns from sparklers, which "can reach temperatures of 1800 degrees," per Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Nationwide Children’s advises parents to "not buy fireworks to use at home" or "allow children to play with fireworks" or "sparklers".
Fireworks displays of all stripes present difficulties for veterans and gun-violence survivors suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and dog and cat owners whose pets are so terrified by the loud bursts that they hide in corners or under beds. Some dogs even run away from their homes.
But professional fireworks shows – such as tomorrow's Red, White, and Boom! – are scheduled and announced well in advance. Veterans, gun-violence survivors, and pet owners can anticipate and plan for these events.
In contrast, amateur fireworks displays aren’t always adequately publicized and thus are unwelcome surprises for those triggered by loud, repetitive, and unexpected explosions.
"Although the loud noise of the fireworks can itself be triggering of traumatic memories, typically it is the unpredictability of the explosion that activates the arousal system or sympathetic nervous system," Todd Favorite, director of the University of Michigan Psychological Clinic, said in a university blog post.
Legislation introduced in both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly would repeal the state’s prohibition on launching consumer-grade fireworks. Those bills, the Cincinnati Enquirer notes, “have yet to receive votes in committee”.
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