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(Des Moines, IA) -- As the Fourth of July approaches, experts are reminding people how to stay safe when lighting fireworks.
"Keep a safe distance, that's the biggest thing. Don't be drinking while you're shooting fireworks off, have a designated shooter. That's where the majority of injuries happen, when people are under the influence," said James Kaczinski, owner of Freedom Fireworks in Des Moines.
According to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, 119 people visited emergency rooms across Iowa for firework-related injuries.
Recent storms may have severely damaged fireworks, making them especially dangerous to use this holiday.
"If you have a firework that has been damaged with water, it is extremely dangerous. What happens is it softens the cardboard inside, and it can easily blow out the side, which makes it very unpredictable which direction it's going to go. I would highly recommend not shooting them off, you're just asking for problems," Kaczinski said.
Firework packaging is made of cardboard, which can soften and warp when wet. The fuses are typically waterproof, meaning the fireworks will still ignite even if the packaging is wet. Kaczinski says that it's best to not light water-damaged fireworks even if they dry out because it's hard to know how the inside packaging was affected.
The legal window for selling fireworks in temporary structures in Iowa runs from June 13 to July 8 each year. This week's storms have made it harder for firework vendors to protect their inventory from water damage, especially those operating in outdoor tents.
"We have good quality tents, for one, and all of our operators are very well aware that anytime storms are coming, we take measures to make sure no water gets in," said Kaczinski.
He added that his company discards any potentially water-damaged products, but he can't speak for other sellers.
As a precaution, be sure to inspect your fireworks for signs of water damage before using them this holiday.