Surgeon warns of severe injuries from illegal Halloween fireworks in Cork

Consultant reconstructive surgeon Anne McKenna has warned that illegal Halloween fireworks are causing serious injuries to children in Cork.

McKenna, speaking on Moncrieff, said she has treated child patients who have lost parts of their genitals and limbs after accidents involving fireworks, bonfires and aerosol cans.

Although fireworks are illegal in Ireland, many are smuggled from Northern Ireland where they can be bought legally. The surgeon highlighted additional hazards from improvised bonfires built with rubbish, garden‑shed material and broken pallets, which can collapse and cause falls.

She also noted the danger of pressurised aerosol cans used by teenagers to create flame displays, which can explode like rockets and cause burns or blunt‑force injuries.

McKenna urged the public to attend staged firework displays rather than using illegal fireworks, stressing that the severe injuries she has seen are a key reason for the ban.

Source: Newstalk. Photo: Robert So / Pexels.