IOWA CITY, Iowa — Doctors are bracing for a wave of injuries as Independence Day celebrations get underway.
Fireworks sent nearly 10,000 people to U.S. emergency rooms last year, and in Iowa, doctors say eye injury cases have quadrupled since consumer fireworks were legalized in 2017 for use on July 3, July 4 and New Year’s.
“Even a sparkler burns at anywhere from 1,800 to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit—enough to melt some metals,” Dr. Chau Pham, an ophthalmologist at University of Iowa Health Care, said…