Health Sec. Francisco Duque III demonstrates what people will be up against if they get injured from firecrackers.
MANILA - If you don't want your fingers chopped off, then lay off firecrackers this holiday season.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday launched its "Zero Paputok (Zero Firecrackers)" campaign to warn the public about the perils of using firecrackers during the Christmas season and New Year's Day.
To prove the point, DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III on Monday gave a demonstration of what firecracker injury victims are in for when they go to the hospital.
Duque brandished a hand surgery saw that can be used to amputate hands, Bone Rongeurs (that look like silver pliers) to trim bones, and instruments to drill bones.
The demonstration was meant to scare or discourage those who are planning to use firecrackers. The agency is campaigning for a total firecracker ban in residential areas nationwide to avoid firecracker-related injuries.
The DOH encouraged the public to play loud music, bang pots and pans, or use "torotot" or trumpets instead of playing with firecrackers when they celebrate Christmas and New Year's Day.
Common firecracker-related injuries
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jean-Pierre Leung of Benguet General Hospital said in a phone interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak that injuries from firecrackers can range from mild to severe, depending on the type of firecracker used.
"Mild ones are burns on the fingers. More severe ones can blast off part of the hand. Or in some cases, some parts of the body like the eyes," he said.
"I've had cases where we had to amputate at the wrist of forearm. Of course that's the worst case scenario," said Leung, who worked at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) from 1993 to 1998.
Leung said that during his time at the PGH, doctors would "fill up buckets of fingers that [they] had cut off" from patients who suffered from firecracker-caused injuries.
"Mostly, [injuries] are found in the hands and fingers because that's what we use to hold the firecrackers," he explained.
Leung said the gunpowder and filler materials (like soil) used in firecrackers can also cause secondary infections or tetanus among patients.
Hard to treat
He said blast injuries are particularly hard to treat because the explosion kills a lot of skin and muscle tissue, making it hard to reconstruct that part of the body.
"Even if you don't amputate, the tissue left behind is scarred, so it's hard to get good function [in that body part] after a blast injury," Leung told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.
Recovery time is long for blast injuries and burns, and patients sometimes need to take antibiotics and stay confined at the hospital for several days while their wounds close.
Other complications to look out for are asthma or respiratory ailments from the smoke left behind when firecrackers explode.
Pyrotechnic experts
Dangerous explosives include Judas belts, which fire up randomly once one small explosive round is lighted, as well as Pla-Pla, Atomic Bombs, and Baby Dynamites.
Firecrackers like "watusi", supposedly recommended for children, are poisonous when ingested.
Leung added, however, that firecracker injury cases have generally seemed to lessen over the years. "There has been a trend for [the use of] imported fireworks. It's actually safer because instead of participating, people watch fireworks displays instead," he said.
Firecrackers that caused the most injuries in 2008 were Piccolo fireworks, "Kwitis", Five Star, "Luces" (sparkler), and homemade firecrackers.
According to DOH data, 733 people were injured by firecrackers while 17 were injured by stray bullets from December 21 last year to January 5 this year. Duque said this was 28% lower than the previous 4-year average.
Local government units (LGUs) proposed to designate a time and place for lighting up fireworks in every town, to be supervised by a pyrotechnics expert. This is to avoid accidents.
The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, is also pitching on efforts to reduce firecracker injuries by confiscating illegal fireworks like Bawang, Super Lolo, Thunder, and Boga. Stores that sell illegal firecrackers will be closed down. -- Report by Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak. With a report from Sol Aragones, ABS-CBN News.
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