The unpredictable dangers of homemade fireworks.
(Baonghean.vn) - Before and during the Lunar New Year, the situation regarding the illegal manufacture, storage, trading, and use of firecrackers became complicated. Authorities have taken strict action, however, the act of storing and making firecrackers continues, and worryingly, many of the perpetrators are young people.
Order chemicals and learn how to make fireworks online.
In fact, it's not difficult to find videos teaching how to make fireworks at home. Just type the keywords "how to make fireworks" or "making fireworks" into the online search engine Google, and you'll find a plethora of videos instructing how to make various types of fireworks. Furthermore, due to competition for views, many YouTube channels even demonstrate simple, unique, and loud fireworks designs to attract viewers. Worryingly, the channel owners don't warn viewers; instead, they emphasize that their methods are safe and not dangerous.
The readily available recipes online, simple methods, and inexpensive ingredients that are easy to find on e-commerce sites are the main reasons why many people, especially teenagers, driven by curiosity, a desire for fun, and profit, have made firecrackers at home, leading to numerous tragic incidents.
Most recently, at approximately 5 PM on December 7, 2023, an explosion occurred at a children's toy store in Van Hai commune, Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province, resulting in two fatalities. The cause was determined to be related to information received on Facebook. Nguyen Van Linh (born 1996), residing in Block 1, Binh Minh town, Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province, ordered gunpowder, fuses, and firework casings online to manufacture firecrackers for sale. Linh hired Mai Thi X (born 1993) and Luong Thi G (born 1995), both residing in Kim Son district, to assemble the fuses and package the gunpowder. However, during the process, a fire and explosion occurred, causing part of the house to collapse and resulting in the deaths of the two women.
In Nghe An province, similar incidents have occurred quite frequently. On December 9, 2022, at a coffee shop in Hanh Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district, an explosion involving homemade firecrackers occurred, causing Mr. NTT (born in 1992), residing in Hamlet 2, Hanh Lam commune, to suffer severe hand injuries and a punctured abdomen.
The aforementioned incidents clearly demonstrate the dangers of making firecrackers at home. However, violations still occur. Many cases discovered and seized by authorities indicate that the firecracker powder and instructions for making firecrackers were obtained online, primarily from teenagers and students.
For example, at 11:00 AM on December 6, 2023, during a patrol in Hamlet 5, the task force of the Nam Thanh Commune Police, Nam Dan District, discovered PHM (born in 2010, residing in Hamlet 7, Nam Thanh Commune) in possession of two plastic bags. One bag, weighing 1.1 kg, contained a white crystalline powder with a pungent odor (suspected to be potassium chlorate), and the other, weighing 0.5 kg, contained a yellow crystalline powder (suspected to be sulfur). Upon inspection and verification, the commune police determined that PHM had ordered these materials online to use as ingredients for making firecrackers, following instructions. He had successfully detonated five firecrackers before being discovered by the police.
Combine public awareness campaigns with strict enforcement.
Regarding the prevention and control of violations related to fireworks, on August 29, 2023, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Plan No. 636/KH-UBND on preventing and controlling violations related to fireworks before, during, and after the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon 2024. The implementation period runs from September 10, 2023, to February 26, 2024. Accordingly, the head of the Provincial People's Committee requested provincial departments, agencies, and organizations; and the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns to innovate the content and diversify the forms and methods of disseminating legal regulations prohibiting the production, import, sale, storage, transportation, and illegal use of fireworks to all officials, Party members, and people in the area, especially targeting young people, students, and university students.
The police force is focusing on monitoring suspected individuals involved in smuggling rings and illegal trade of fireworks and firecrackers. This includes individuals with prior convictions for smuggling, manufacturing, trading, storing, transporting, or using fireworks illegally; young people, students, and teenagers showing signs of manufacturing, buying, storing, or using fireworks illegally; and businesses dealing in precursor chemicals that are easily obtained by these individuals for the production and manufacture of illegal fireworks. The aim is to take timely action to combat and apprehend these individuals.
Mr. Thai Van Thanh, Director of the Department of Education and Training, stated: "The education sector is very concerned about raising awareness and preventing firecrackers in schools. Every year, the Department directs schools to coordinate with the police force to organize awareness campaigns on preventing firecrackers and to sign commitments not to produce, trade, transport, store, or illegally use firecrackers, explosives, or supporting tools in schools. However, in reality, incidents involving students related to firecrackers still occur. Making firecrackers at home can result in administrative penalties from authorities, or even criminal prosecution. Most worryingly, it can lead to casualties if a fire or explosion occurs during the firecracker manufacturing process. Because firecrackers contain chemicals such as phosphorus and sulfur, when they explode, they can easily cause serious injuries to the face, eyes, hands, neck, and chest."
Regarding the dangers of accidents caused by homemade fireworks, a doctor at the Emergency Department of Nghe An Friendship General Hospital stated: Explosive fireworks can cause skin lacerations, soft tissue damage, and more serious injuries such as broken arms and legs, head injuries, chest and abdominal injuries, etc. Notably, homemade fireworks are highly toxic to the respiratory system due to the presence of metal dust, leading to the risk of chemical smoke inhalation. Exposure to this chemical smoke for less than 3 minutes will have mild effects. After 3 minutes, the respiratory system begins to be affected, especially in people with a history of respiratory diseases or asthma. Firework dust and smoke also directly affect the eyes, causing tearing or corneal ulcers, and damaging muscle tissue… In addition, if foreign objects enter the eye, it can cause infection, damage to eye tissue, and prolonged pain.
As the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon approaches, to minimize unfortunate accidents related to homemade fireworks, in addition to authorities strengthening management, control, prevention, and strict handling of those who post and distribute videos instructing how to make fireworks and those who illegally buy and sell explosives or chemicals used to make fireworks, parents, schools, and local authorities must also strengthen management and supervision, and raise awareness among students and young people about the harmful effects and dangerous consequences of making and using fireworks, in order to prevent unfortunate accidents from occurring.
According to Article 190 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017):
Anyone who produces or sells firecrackers weighing from 6 kg to less than 40 kg shall be fined from VND 100,000,000 to VND 1,000,000,000 or sentenced to imprisonment from 1 year to 5 years.
Anyone who produces or trades in firecrackers weighing from 40 kg to less than 120 kg shall be fined from VND 1,000,000,000 to VND 3,000,000,000 or sentenced to imprisonment from 5 to 10 years.
Anyone who manufactures or trades in 120 kg or more of firecrackers shall be sentenced to imprisonment from 8 to 15 years.
