From New Year's Eve in Berlin to Bastille Day in Paris and election celebrations in Warsaw, fireworks remain a beloved part of European festivities. But behind the dazzling displays lies a darker reality: thousands of injuries each year, many of them severe and preventable.
In an opinion piece published in The BMJ, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) argue that fireworks pose an underestimated threat to public health. They are calling for stronger regulations and sustained public education campaigns, both in the United States and internationally, to reduce the toll.
The authors highlight a range of common medical emergencies: severe burns, blast injuries from shockwaves, traumatic brain injuries, finger amputations, and permanent blindness. These injuries disproportionately affect children, young males, rural communities, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and innocent bystanders.
Europe's patchy data and rising import numbers
Across Europe, thousands of people seek emergency care after firework-related incidents each year. Yet only a few countries systematically track these injuries. The Netherlands is a notable exception: during the 2025–2026 New Year's celebrations, an estimated 1,239 people required hospital emergency treatment or out-of-hours general care, a 7% increase from the previous year.
In Italy, the Ministry of the Interior reported 283 injuries during New Year's Eve, with 54 requiring hospitalisation. But many EU member states lack nationwide registers, making it impossible to grasp the true scale of the problem. Healthcare professionals stress that systematic national data collection is urgently needed.
Despite the risks, the fireworks market in Europe is booming. Eurostat data published in December 2025 show that the EU imported 120,000 tonnes of fireworks from outside the bloc in 2024, worth €406.7 million—a 9.5% increase in volume and a 21.5% rise in value compared with 2023. The European Commission's 2025 staff working document confirms that pyrotechnic imports reached a record €452 million in 2024, with fireworks accounting for the largest share. The Netherlands and Germany dominate these imports, receiving 37.0% and 35.6% respectively, followed by Poland at 7.4%.
Regulation: a patchwork of EU rules and national restrictions
At the EU level, a directive harmonises product safety requirements for consumer fireworks, but each member state can impose stricter rules on sale, possession, and use. The framework divides fireworks into four categories based on hazard and intended use:
- Category 1 (very low hazard, indoor or close-range items like sparklers and party poppers): minimum age 12, though Germany and France set it higher.
- Category 2 (low hazard, outdoor use in confined areas): minimum age 16 in Germany, 18 in France.
- Category 3 (medium hazard, outdoor use in large open spaces): minimum age 18, and only for those with specialist knowledge.
- Category 4 (professional use only, not available to the general public).
These rules, however, are not always enforced consistently, and the authors of the BMJ piece argue that more needs to be done. They recommend that medical organisations and public health bodies encourage people to attend professional public displays rather than setting off fireworks at home, countering social media messages that promote private use.
They also propose school-based campaigns targeting primary and secondary pupils, using real-life stories and images of people affected by firework injuries to highlight the consequences of mishandling them. Finally, they suggest introducing graphic warning labels on fireworks packaging, similar to those on cigarette packets, to raise awareness of the risks.
Some European countries are already moving in this direction. In Switzerland, voters are set to decide on a nationwide fireworks ban amid concerns over animal welfare and pollution, a debate that resonates across the continent. Meanwhile, the EU's own health priorities are under scrutiny, with cancer groups warning that the next budget could starve health projects.
The call for better data and stronger public health measures echoes broader concerns about preventable injuries. As the BMJ authors note, the burden of firework-related harm is not inevitable—it can be reduced with the right policies and public awareness. For Europe, where the market continues to grow, the question is whether regulators will act before the next New Year's Eve.
