The festival of Diwali brings immense joy and brightness, but carelessness during celebrations can lead to unfortunate hospital visits. Sweets and firecrackers are integral parts of the festivities, and children are particularly fond of bursting crackers. However, a slight mistake while handling firecrackers can easily land someone in the emergency room. Improper ways of igniting crackers cause hundreds of people to reach hospitals every year. The sparks from firecrackers release hazardous particles such as sulfur, gunpowder, and heavy metals. These elements not only harm overall health, but getting burned by them creates a completely different kind of crisis. Medical experts at AIIMS note that most people end up making severe mistakes when dealing with such burn injuries.
Typically, when a hand or skin gets burned, people tend to apply honey, sugar, cream, or antiseptic ointments on the affected area. In addition, individuals often apply harmful substances like toothpaste, cooking oil, butter, ghee, and turmeric. In some regions, there is even a custom of applying animal dung to fresh burns. From a medical science perspective, all these practices are entirely useless and lead to far more dangerous outcomes, allowing the damage to penetrate deeper into the skin. Such remedies are completely wrong and hazardous, and people must avoid making this mistake. Dr. Manish Singhal, Professor and Head of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Injury at AIIMS, explained that these substances cause deep wounds inside the skin, making them take much longer to heal. Furthermore, they allow the pain and burning sensation to reach deep within tissues.
Dr. Manish Singhal shared through the social media page of AIIMS that Diwali is a festival of happiness meant for celebration, but firecrackers should not be handled improperly to prevent mishaps. Every year, the hospital receives numerous patients who have suffered burn injuries due to crackers. Therefore, adopting various precautions while bursting crackers is essential. Dr. Manish Singhal advised that children should never be allowed to handle crackers alone. People should also avoid lighting crackers directly in their hands. Recently, a new trend of using potash guns to ignite crackers has emerged, which is extremely dangerous and causes severe injuries. Crackers should always be lit in open spaces, and a bucket of water must be kept nearby.
Additional safety measures include avoiding synthetic clothing while handling fireworks and keeping earthen lamps away from doorframes, clothes, and sofas. If an unfortunate burn injury occurs, one must not panic. The affected skin area should be washed under continuous running tap water from a normal tap for 15 to 20 minutes, which prevents the wound from penetrating deeper into the skin tissues. Apart from water, nothing else should be applied, as doing so increases the risk of infection. After rinsing with water, the area should be wrapped loosely in a clean cotton cloth and the patient must be rushed to the nearest hospital for professional medical care.
