Medical chief for firecracker ban: Abolish “unregulated banging”.

Every year, several thousand people are injured by exploding fireworks, and clinics are even more heavily burdened on New Year’s Eve than they already are. Medical President Reinhardt therefore calls for a permanent ban on firecrackers.

The President of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, calls for a permanent ban on firecrackers on New Year’s Eve from the federal and state governments. The “unregulated banging” no longer fits in with the times, he told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. It is “bad for the environment and climate and repeatedly leads to serious injuries”.

Lots of eye injuries and blast trauma

Each year, about 8,000 people nationwide suffer inner ear injuries from exploding fireworks, according to Reinhardt. Children, adolescents and young adults are particularly often affected by these bang traumas. There were also eye injuries and burns. This means a heavy additional burden for the employees in the clinics, who have already been working at the limit for months.

It is also completely out of place to ring in the New Year with rockets while war is raging in Europe. “For numerous refugees from war zones, the New Year’s Eve fire triggers bad feelings, and some even fear of death,” the doctor’s president continued.

At the beginning of November, the German Environmental Aid had already spoken out in favor of a nationwide ban on firecrackers on New Year’s Eve. The Federal Board of the Police Union and the Lower Saxony Medical Association, among others, supported this demand. Medical Association President Martina Wenker referred to the negative consequences of the fine dust released by the fireworks for people and the environment.

During the corona pandemic, private fireworks were prohibited. Several cities and municipalities have announced that they will set up no-gun zones for this year. General bans are not planned so far.