Unpredictable danger from homemade fireworks
(Baonghean.vn) - Previously, during the Lunar New Year, the situation of illegal manufacturing, storage, trading and use of firecrackers became complicated. The authorities have taken strict action, however, the act of storing and making firecrackers still occurs, worryingly involving many young people.
Order medicine, learn how to make fireworks online
In fact, it is not difficult to find videos that teach how to make fireworks at home. Just type in the keyword "how to make fireworks" or "make fireworks" on the online search engine Google and you will see a series of videos instructing how to make different types of fireworks. Moreover, because of competition for views, many YouTube channels also instruct how to make simple, unique fireworks with loud sounds,... to attract viewers. Worryingly, the channel owner does not warn viewers but also emphasizes that his method is safe and not dangerous.
The recipe is available online, the method is simple, the ingredients are cheap, easy to find on e-commerce sites, etc. are the main reasons why many people, especially curious, fun-loving teenagers, for profit, have made their own firecrackers at home and many tragic incidents have occurred.
Most recently, at around 5:00 p.m. on December 7, 2023, an explosion occurred at a children's toy store in Van Hai commune, Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province, killing two people. The cause was determined, through information on Facebook, Nguyen Van Linh (born in 1996), residing in Block 1, Binh Minh town, Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province, ordered firecrackers, fuses, and firecracker shells online to make explosive fireworks for sale. Linh hired Mai Thi X (born in 1993) and Luong Thi G (born in 1995), both residing in Kim Son district, to assemble detonators and package explosive fireworks. However, a fire and explosion broke out during the process, causing the level 4 house to partially collapse and killing two women.
In Nghe An, similar incidents have also occurred quite a few times. On December 9, 2022, at a coffee shop in Hanh Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district, an explosion involving homemade fireworks occurred, causing Mr. NTT (born in 1992), residing in hamlet 2, Hanh Lam commune, to have his hand crushed and his abdomen punctured.
The above incidents are the clearest evidence of the danger of homemade fireworks. However, violations still occur. Many cases discovered and seized by the authorities all said that ordering fireworks and learning how to make fireworks were done online, mainly by teenagers and students.
For example, at 11:00 a.m. on December 6, 2023, while patrolling and controlling in Hamlet 5, the working group of Nam Thanh Commune Police, Nam Dan District discovered that PHM (born in 2010, residing in Hamlet 7, Nam Thanh Commune) was in possession of 2 plastic bags, including 1 bag weighing 1.1 kg containing white crystalline powder with a pungent smell (suspected to be potassium chlorate powder) and 1 bag weighing 0.5 kg containing yellow crystalline powder (suspected to be sulfur). After checking and verifying, the commune police determined that the above materials were ordered online by PHM to use as raw materials and then followed the instructions to make firecrackers and successfully exploded 5 before being discovered by the police.
Combine propaganda and strict handling
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 the prevention and control of violations related to fireworks before, during and after the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin 2024. The implementation period starts from September 10, 2023 to February 26, 2024. Accordingly, the head of the Provincial People's Committee requested provincial departments, branches, sectors, and mass organizations; People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns to innovate content, diversify forms and methods of propaganda, and disseminate legal regulations on the prohibition of production, import, trade, storage, transportation, and illegal use of fireworks to all cadres, party members, and people in the area, especially for young people, teenagers, students, etc.
The police force focuses on monitoring the situation of suspicious subjects operating in smuggling and illegal trading lines and groups of fireworks and firecrackers. The subjects have criminal records for smuggling, manufacturing, trading, storing, transporting and illegally using fireworks. The subjects are young people, teenagers, students and pupils who show signs of illegally manufacturing, trading, storing and using fireworks... Business establishments that trade in precursors and chemicals that the subjects often take advantage of in easy trading to produce and manufacture illegal fireworks... to promptly take measures to combat and arrest.
Mr. Thai Van Thanh - Director of the Department of Education and Training said: The education sector is very interested in propaganda, prevention and control of firecrackers in schools. Every year, the Department directs schools to coordinate with the police force to organize propaganda on firecracker prevention and control and sign a commitment not to produce, trade, transport, store, or illegally use firecrackers, explosives, and supporting tools in schools, but in reality, incidents involving students still occur. Making homemade firecrackers can be administratively sanctioned by the authorities, or more seriously, criminally prosecuted. The most worrying thing is that it can lead to casualties if a fire or explosion occurs during the process of making firecrackers. Because firecrackers contain chemicals such as phosphorus, sulfur... when exploded, they can easily cause serious injuries to the face, eyes, hands, neck, chest...
Regarding the dangerous nature of accidents caused by homemade fireworks, a doctor at the Emergency Department of Nghe An General Hospital said: Exploding fireworks can cause skin tears, soft tissue damage, more seriously broken arms, legs, traumatic brain injuries, chest, abdomen, etc. It is worth mentioning that homemade fireworks are very toxic to the respiratory system because they contain a lot of metal dust, leading to the risk of chemical fume contamination. Exposure to this chemical fume for less than 3 minutes will slightly affect the body. After more than 3 minutes, the respiratory system begins to be affected, especially for people with a history of respiratory disease and asthma. Fireworks' dust and smoke also directly affect the eyes, causing tears or corneal ulcers, damaging muscle tissue, etc. In addition, if foreign objects get into the eyes, they will cause infection, destroy eye tissue, and cause prolonged pain.
The Lunar New Year of Giap Thin is approaching, in order to limit unfortunate accidents related to homemade fireworks, in addition to the authorities strengthening the management, control, prevention, and strict handling of those who post and distribute clips instructing how to make fireworks and those who illegally buy and sell explosives or chemicals to make fireworks. Parents, schools, and localities must also strengthen management, supervision, and raise understanding and awareness of students, adolescents, and young people about the harmful effects and dangerous consequences of making and using homemade fireworks, and prevent unfortunate accidents that may occur.
According to Article 190, Penal Code 2015 (amended and supplemented in 2017):
Anyone who manufactures or trades in fireworks weighing from 6 kg to under 40 kg shall be subject to a fine of from VND 100,000,000 to VND 1,000,000,000 or imprisonment from 1 year to 5 years.
Anyone who manufactures or trades in fireworks weighing from 40 kg to under 120 kg shall be subject to a fine of from VND 1,000,000,000 to VND 3,000,000,000 or imprisonment from 5 to 10 years.
Anyone who manufactures or trades 120 kg or more of firecrackers shall be sentenced to imprisonment from 8 to 15 years.
