New year’s eve is risky, especially because of the private new year’s eve-Böllerei. The new year’s eve firecracker a much higher injury potential, as known, is likely to be, especially when another new year comes the risk of alcohol–. The most common injuries and how to protect yourself.
To make new year’s eve Party and shoot, the stuff is cult for most people living in Germany. What many hide it: to celebrate has some negative side effects, which affect different areas.
The first is likely to be interested in “just” friends of animals: wild animals such as birds and squirrels are scared, and die in their panic often. Also Pets suffer in the new year’s eve night through the long hours of pounding torments of hell.
Fine particulates and toxins from the new year’s eve-Böllerei a burden on everyone, permanently
The second new year’s eve sequence, however each and every one of us. The fireworks with their explosive set of pollutants, especially fine dust. Up to 17 percent of the amount of particulate matter alone is set to night only in the new year free of the entire car – and truck-transport emit in a year!
The new year’s eve-fine dust avalanche loaded, especially people with Asthma or COPD in cities up to a third of the population is affected. But even with all of the other fine dust, may endanger health. The particles go through the lungs into the blood and can imperceptibly cause inflammation in the brain, accumulate, and eventually even diseases like Alzheimer’s, favour. Also in the development of Diabetes fine dust plays a role in how new studies show.
Brilliant, some toxic colors in fireworks
Not only the fine dust, the dazzling colors of fireworks, Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, and silver, as well as the Color enhancers are risky. It is often the toxins that are released during the Ignition and Explode. You can be carcinogenic and teratogenic, such as
- Lead nitrate
- Boric acid
- Hexachlorobenzene
- Potassium dichromate
- Barium and Strontuimsalze (must be treated in the chemical laboratory as a hazardous waste)
Life-threatening injuries by new year’s eve firecracker
The third impact of the many new year’s eve is typical of acute injuries and emergencies. Although there are no General statistics and no Register, often only single reports about spectacular or particularly tragic cases are known. So two men died about the year 2017/2018, when the Ignition of firecrackers, another was the pressure wave of illegal Firecrackers lungs and intestines burst, the face was severely injured, he also lost two fingers.
Hands, eyes, and ears are particularly at risk of
However, some health insurance funds and doctors ‘ associations to register the new year’s eve injury. According to these Figures the ears are affected relatively frequently. Around 8,000 people in Germany suffer according to the German society for ear, nose and throat medicine, head and neck surgery (DGHNO KHC) on new year’s eve injury of the inner ear. Most of the time it is a blast injury, which results in more than a third of permanent hearing loss or Tinnitus. After all, it comes during the Shoot of fireworks in the vicinity to noise impulses of up to 160 decibels – this is something more than a close, start the jet plane.
But by far the most common new year’s eve-specific injuries affect the hands and face, the eyes.
Hand injuries: Massive burns and Finger
The German society for Orthopaedics and accident surgery is one new year’s eve around 55 severe hand injuries in a large urban hospital. Extrapolated to the whole of Germany, the 55,000 cases would make. Affected are mostly young men up to 30 years, a further risk group is 50 – to 60-year-old.
When the firecracker exploded in the Hand, the result is deep burns, and fingers can be separated by the pressure wave. In spite of the many operations restrictions and continue to remain.
Eye injuries: corneal damage, eyeball ripped
An earlier survey of the German ophthalmological society (DOG)German University clinics showed that the response of clinics and 340 patients, of whom a third are children and young people had to be treated for eye injuries. Extrapolated to the total number of German hospitals (approximately 2,000) would be the almost 17,000 eye injury. However, this statement is not entirely correct, because the catchment area of the clinics may not be taken into account.
In addition to Lidschädigungen especially horn recorded skin injuries and globe rupture (Eyeball rupture). Often the vision is then permanently restricted, and it threatens blindness.
Most often, eye injuries do not occur individually, but also parts of the face are often affected, for example with combustion. Un at least every second to the eyes of the wounded didn’t geböllert itself, but as a spectator in the vicinity.
“Each year, thousands of people in Germany suffer in the last night of the year injuries because of careless, improper and under the influence of alcohol with fireworks is handled,” says Hans-jürgen Agostini of the Department of ophthalmology at the University hospital of Freiburg
Also the weather plays in new year’s accidents, a role
The Karl-Georg Kanz, a senior physician and head of the surgical emergency room of the University hospital Munich rechts der Isar confirmed. “There are new year’s eve, specific injuries that affect the hands, face, and eyes, caused by fireworks,” says the surgeon and emergency physician. Especially self-made and illegal or explode more than they should, keyword: “China and Poland firecrackers” are dangerous.
It is also the subject of injuries of the weather in the new year’s eve. It is icy and thus slippery, repeated falls with fractures.
Children are particularly vulnerable
What is striking is the many injuries in children, recorded in connection with new year’s eve. Mostly the hands and forearms are affected. These accidents are particularly tragic, “because a child’s hand is much smaller, the skin is much thinner and an Explosion can cause great damage.” Children suffer particularly fast Finger.
New year’s accidents, also because of the firecrackers that contain more explosives
Overall, the expert sees an increase in the new year’s eve-specific injuries. Especially, batteries with many rockets are risky, because they put in a short time, especially a lot of explosive power. Overall, it is hunted in the last few years, a lot more to new year’s eve in the air than in the past. The sales of fireworks in Germany has increased since the year 2003 by 50 percent. And where more is to be shot at, there are more accidents.
In addition, the amount of explosive it is for the danger of the rockets and firecrackers, which may be according to a regulation of the EU since 2011, more than twice as high as before (“Directive 2007/23/EC”). That means 500 instead of 200 grams of explosives. Why the explosives regulation has been relaxed in this dimension, although the fireworks are hazardous to health and the environment, is not understandable.
First aid in case of typical new year’s eve injuries
But what to do if, if something happened? The emergency physician advises to choose, first of all, the 112 and to describe in detail the accident and injury. Also important:
- In the case of strong bleeding, the affected limb should be tied well, such as with a belt, other than that it was recommended until Recently, says Karl-Georg Kanz.
- Fingers are separated, collected and cooled to the hospital.
- Combustion should not be cooled, remove clothing radicals from the burn (that’s why the Doctors)take care
- In the case of eye injuries, there is little first aid that can perform the layman.
Beware of supposedly unexploded firecrackers
The Main of the protection is, however, for ensuring that no violation occurs. “This, above all, not to take any fireworks in the Hand, didn’t go off, but not spent,” warns the expert. The firecrackers and rockets may still contain explosives residues and about later kindle. Then it comes to the typical Hand and face injuries. Here, children are often at risk when the next day, on the streets, the remnants of the fireworks viewing.
However, proper prevention begins at the time of purchase of the fireworks: make Sure that the products are CE-mark and BAM-security number (Federal office for material testing). And: fireworks do not belong in the hands of small children. Only fireworks of category F1 may be used by children 12 years of age. F2 marked are allowed for adults, so until the age of 18 years.
So you protect yourself properly – first firecrackers, then drink it
In addition, there are a few more tips for private celebrations of the year:
- You are not even fireworks, for example following instructions on the Internet. Such self-made explosives demand in the production every year, several deaths, in addition, the construction of such “self-laborate” to a Crime.
- Many accidents on new year’s eve happen to be under the influence of alcohol. Therefore, you should apply for the Burning of the new year’s eve fireworks: Only fireworks, then drinking, just as they do not drink and drive.
- Burn your private fireworks are never in the rooms or on the balcony, but in the Free. No tree Branches or other obstacles may hinder the flight path.
- Fireworks are strictly according to instructions for use use and a safety distance of at least ten meters to people and buildings. Almost half of the injured in the new year’s eve are innocent bystanders. Also, keep in mind that, depending on the weather, the fireworks, forest fires can trigger, as in recent years, happened several times. So no fireworks in the vicinity of trees and meadows kindle.
- You put the firecrackers on a firm surface and set it never to people!
- In the event of a misfire or the rocket will not ignite: wait at Least 15 minutes and then the fireworks in a deep bucket, which is filled with water.
- You Wear Earplugs.
- Think also of the eyes. “If there is a workplace would be where the fireworks would be ignited, to wear would have to a goggle,” warns emergency physicians, Karl-Georg Kanz.
Fireworks leave it to the professionals
The best however would be: No fireworks, self-ignite and it is better left to the professionals, such as trained Pyrotechnicians, the most brilliant fire-works can conjure up. International professional societies of eye doctors are calling by the way for quite some time a ban on the sale of fireworks-firecrackers to private individuals. “Better the fireworks, however, would be, in the hands of trained professionals überlassen", Hansjürgen Agostini of the Department of ophthalmology at the University hospital in Freiburg says.
But new year’s eve goes without a private Pop at all? Yes, the mood of the year, without private fireworks is quite possible. There are a number of regions and cities, where private fireworks is prohibited, and new year’s eve is celebrated still left out: the Islands in the North sea, in Konstanz, Ravensburg, Düsseldorf, Hannover, areas in the Harz mountains, or the Tyrol, but also Venice and Paris. In France, but also in Greece, the private fireworks by the way is unusual. Remains only to hope, that for the purposes of the health, the environment, and animal welfare private pounding in Germany is less and less followers.
