The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Deepavali comes with its share of woes too

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 12, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Deepavali comes with its share of woes too

R.Sujatha

Crackers such as ‘flowerpot’ and ‘rocket’ cause most injuries

A study last year found that people aged below 30 were the most affected

CHENNAI: Every Deepavali season government and private hospitals get scores of patients who are injured while bursting firecrackers. In most cases the victims are young, often below 30 years. Sometimes, the victims suffer permanent damage.

For the past several years, government doctors have been studying the cause and nature of these injuries and have found that certain types of crackers cause more damage. Also, bursting crackers in congested places could injure more people.

Economically weak

Every year, the Government Ophthalmic Hospital in Egmore and the Burns Department of Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital receive the largest number of victims. Most of the patients are economically weak. Eye specialists expect several patients requiring major surgeries to be referred to the hospital from other smaller eye hospitals in the city in the coming days.

Usually the hospital receives over 50 patients on the day of the festival. A third of that number is received on the day before and after the festival. This year, the hospital had received 86 patients from November 7 to 9. On November 8 alone, 59 patients were received of whom 51 were male.

A study done by hospital director V. Velayuthan found that in 2005 and 2006, it received 150 patients each. Most of the victims were male — children or adults. Seventy per cent of the injured were bystanders who did not burst firecrackers, the study found. Ten to 12 per cent of the injuries were caused by ‘flowerpots’ and ‘rockets.’

A study last year by the Burns Department of Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMC) found that people aged below 30 were most affected. Flowerpots that burst while warming were the common cause of many injuries.

The Department received 48 patients, including a person aged 50 and a bystander. Most of the injured were in the 6 to 25 age group with 14 patients in the below 10 years group. Six of the victims were women.

“Slum and street children unwrap un-burnt firecrackers and accumulate the dangerous chemical powder to light a bonfire. They injure themselves when they crowd around the bonfire,” said burns specialist V. Jayaraman.

“Facial burns are most common especially in children who light accumulated cracker powder. Sometimes children hold the firecracker in their hand and light it. We had two cases of ripped hands,” he added. Over 30 youngsters who tried to hold the firecracker and light it had injured their hands. Eleven were injured in the face. While 22 suffered from firecracker burst, 13 were hurt when the flowerpot exploded.

Doctors say that if fireworks displays were limited to large, open grounds fewer people would sustain injuries.

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