What Happens If You Eat Fireworks?
Sometimes children might eat fireworks by accident. The good news? Fireworks aren’t as toxic as you might think. In most cases, swallowing a small amount won’t cause harm. You might just experience some mild symptoms that can be treated with supportive care.
The main concerns with fireworks are the heat they produce and the risk of burns or injuries to the skin or eyes. Sometimes the mouth can be burned if the hot, metal stick is accidentally tasted after use (most often with a sparkler).
🎆 If you, or someone you know, ate fireworks by accident, call the Missouri Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. They’ll walk you through exactly what to do next. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7.
Transcript with visual descriptions
Visual: Thumbnail with an image of fireworks exploding in the night sky and the video title “Are fireworks toxic?”. The Missouri Poison Center logo is in the bottom right corner.
Sound: Upbeat, light-hearted instrumental music begins.
Visual: A man wearing a plaid shirt and a tan cap, identified as Person 1, slams open the door and enters the room.
Person 1: Hypothetical question!
Visual: A man in a blue t-shirt, identified as Person 2, sits at a desk in front of a computer.
Person 2: What? Are you like this?
Person 1: Let’s say you bought some fireworks and you knew they wouldn’t explode.
Person 2: Okay?
Person 1: Could you eat them?
Person 2: What?
Person 1: Could you eat them?
Person 2: No!
Person 1: You know, put them in a blender, add a little milk, some ice cubes?
Person 2: No!
Person 1: Make a little “Freedom Smoothie”.
Person 2: Look.
Person 2: Surprisingly, fireworks aren’t all that toxic.
Person 1: Yes!
Person 2: I mean, if you stick a hot sparkler into your mouth after you’re done using it, then yeah, it’s going to burn.
Person 1: Oh, well, yeah.
Person 2: But the treatment for ingested fireworks usually only involves symptomatic and supportive care. Unless you ate a bunch, so…
Person 1: Oh. So this is the end of me.
Person 2: Wait, this isn’t hypothetical?
Person 1: Hey, you know what, it tasted like freedom, man. And, like, how a voting booth smells.
Person 2: Ew.
Person 1: Yeah. I’m not proud.
Person 2: Yeah, you should probably call the Poison Center.
Person 1: Yeah.
Visual: Person 1 is in the doorway with the Missouri Poison Center logo and phone number 1-800-222-1222 overlaid on the screen.
AVO: If you suspect an accidental ingestion of fireworks, call the Missouri Poison Center right away!
Visual: Person 1 closes the door.
AVO: At 1-800-222-1222.
