Carbide firecrackers led to eye injuries this Diwali: Experts

Doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, on Wednesday spotlighted the appearance of a new kind of eye injury caused by firecrackers after Diwali this year.

“A disturbing trend this year has been the emergence of severe chemical burn-like injuries linked to carbide-based firecrackers,” said experts while speaking about the rise of this new hazard during a press conference in New Delhi.

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Out of the total 190 cases reported this year, 18-20 were due to carbide guns, stated the eye experts from the Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi.

Expanding on how these newly popular devices, often assembled at home, can result in disastrous explosions, doctors noted that the carbide guns produce acetylene gas upon reacting with water, resulting in violent blasts and release of metal hydroxide fumes.

“Such explosions cause devastating chemical and thermal damage to the ocular surface, leading to permanent corneal opacification and irreversible visual loss,” the experts warned, emphasising the urgent need for strict regulation and prohibition of such hazardous devices.

Besides the national capital, carbide gun-related injuries were reported across the nation including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

Experts noted that, apart from the emergence of new hazards caused by carbide guns, the total number of eye-related injuries saw a nearly 20 per cent increase this Diwali — rising from 160 cases in 2024 to 190 this year.

“The Supreme Court, earlier this month, permitted the limited sale and use of certified “green” firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during the festival of lights. However, despite these restrictions, firecrackers were freely available and used in the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, leading to widespread non-compliance and cross-border availability within Delhi-NCR, experts said.

“We didn’t expect this many cases compared to the last two years. For the last two years, there was a cracker ban, but this time, since the ban was lifted, we saw many patients come in. Social media has also contributed to this, as there are videos that show how these carbide guns are made,” said Namrata Sharma, from the RP Centre.

Noting the widespread harm caused by firecrackers, among young adults, leading to serious injuries in both eyes and complete loss of vision in some cases, experts called out the pressing need for strict interstate enforcement of firecracker regulations and monitoring of online sales.

They also advocated a ban on hazardous carbide-based and home-assembled crackers, and public education campaigns on eye protection and emergency first aid following ocular trauma.

“These crackers must be curbed at the production level, as curbing sales is clearly not working out,” Prof. Mandeep Bajaj, from AIIMS.