PITTSBURGH \u2014 As grills and fireworks fire up for the Fourth of July, doctors at West Penn Hospital are warning families to take extra precautions. <\/p>\n
Inside the hospital\u2019s Burn Center, the most severe cases are treated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach one of these holiday seasons brings sort of a different injury list,\u201d Dr. Brett Hertman, the center\u2019s director, said.<\/p>\n
Hartman says the Fourth of July is a unique holiday because so many of its traditions carry a risk of burn injury. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily just the fireworks \u2014 that\u2019s an added component of it. The grilling, the campfire, added with the fireworks, we definitely see a spike.”<\/p>\n
He says, if you do burn yourself, burn the burn under cool water.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople look up on the internet, and Google search what they should put on a burned wound. I\u2019ve seen mustard, mayonnaise, honey, toothpaste,\u201d Hartman said, warning against home remedies. <\/p>\n
For the more severe cases, you should know when to go to the emergency room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe calculate burns by total body surface area percentage. The patient\u2019s hand is about 1%. So, if there\u2019s anything over 5%, we would recommend you be seen if there\u2019s injury to your face, hands, to your eyes…\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is also urging everyone to be careful over the holiday. The commission says that last year, 13,000 people were injured by fireworks.<\/p>\n
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