The Halloween hazards that land children in hospital each year
Warning over annual Halloween-related injuries
- Halloween celebrations present genuine medical hazards, including injuries from pumpkin carving, severe burns from flammable costumes and candles, and accidents caused by ill-fitting outfits.
- The risk of traffic accidents significantly increases on Halloween, with childhood pedestrian deaths being four times higher in the US due to dark evenings and costumes.
- Novelty contact lenses pose serious risks, potentially causing eye damage, irritation, and even life-threatening heart infections from bacterial migration.
- Other dangers include skin irritation and toxic exposure from face paints, dental damage from unapproved fangs, and choking hazards from hard sweets.
- Consumption-related issues range from increased nut allergy incidents and laxative effects from sugar-free products to hospital admissions for ingesting THC gummies.