View source for Sparkler

{{short description|Hand-held firework burning with sparks}}
{{Other uses}}

[[Image:Christmas baubles and sparkler (02).jpg|thumb|right|A sparkler on a [[Christmas tree]]]]
[[File:Morning glory 8.jpg|thumb|right|A "Morning Glory" type sparkler, emitting small pyrotechnic stars during this phase of the burn]]
[[Image:Sparklers moving slow shutter speed.jpg|thumb|Sparklers are popular fireworks for children]]
[[File:Sparklers with a slow shutter speed.JPG|thumb|Moving sparklers quickly can create attractive patterns]]
A '''sparkler''' is a type of hand-held [[firework]] that burns slowly while emitting bright, colored sparks. It burns at a high temperature (over 1000°C), so it can be [[Sparkler#Safety issues|very dangerous]]. 

Sparklers are particularly popular with children. In the [[United Kingdom]], a sparkler is often used by children at bonfire and fireworks displays on [[Guy Fawkes Night]], the fifth of November,<ref>{{cite web|title=10 safety tips for Guy Fawkes|url=http://www.health24.com/Parenting/Child/Home/10-safety-tips-for-Guy-Fawkes-20131105|accessdate=11 August 2014|date=5 November 2013}}</ref> and in the United States on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Fireworks Information Center|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks/|publisher=United States Condumer Product Safety Commission|accessdate=11 August 2014}}</ref> They are called ''phuljhadi'' in Hindi and are especially popular during the [[Diwali]] festival.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sparklers for Diwali celebrations|url=http://weddingsparklersusa.com/sparklers-for-diwali/|accessdate=11 August 2014|date=27 October 2013}}</ref>

== Composition ==
{{Main|Pyrotechnic composition}}
Sparklers are generally formed around a thin non-combustible metallic wire, about {{convert|8|-|12|in|cm}} long, that has been dipped in a thick batter of slow-burning [[pyrotechnic composition]] and allowed to dry. The combustible coating contains the following components; multiple ingredients can be used:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pyrocreations.com/sparkler_compositions |title=Sparkler compositions|website=Pyrocreations.com|access-date=2016-12-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050213035708/http://www.pyrocreations.com/sparkler_compositions |archive-date=2005-02-13 }}</ref>
* [[Metal|Metallic]] [[fuel]], main reactive ingredient; type of metals influences the color of sparks; size of particles influences shape and size of the sparks
** [[Aluminium]], [[magnesium]] or [[magnalium]], for white sparks
** [[Iron]], for orange branching sparks
** [[Titanium]], for rich white sparks
** [[Ferrotitanium]], for yellow-gold sparks
* [[Oxidizer]], main reactive ingredient
** [[Potassium nitrate]]
** [[Barium nitrate]]
** [[Strontium nitrate]]
** [[Potassium perchlorate]], more powerful but potentially explosive
** [[Ammonium perchlorate]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3862865A/en|title = Sparkler composition}}</ref>
* [[Binder (material)|Combustible binder]], to hold the composition together
** [[Dextrin]]
** [[Nitrocellulose]]
* Additional fuel (optional), to modify the burning speed
** [[Sulfur]]
** [[Charcoal]]
* [[Pyrotechnic colorant]]s (optional), to color the sparks 
** chlorides and nitrates of metals, e.g. barium, strontium, or copper

The colored spot on the top of each rod indicates the color of the sparkles emitted when ignited.

== Uses ==
Sparklers are usually used for celebrations. They can be used for [[light painting]]. Due to the high (over 1000°C) burning temperature of certain compositions, they can also be used to ignite [[thermite]].

==Safety issues==
A 2009 report from the National Council on Fireworks Safety indicated that sparklers are responsible for 16 percent of legal firework-related injuries in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sparklers 16 percent of fireworks harm.|publisher=United Press International|date=June 22, 2009|url=http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/06/22/Sparklers-16-percent-of-fireworks-harm/UPI-86421245710485/}}</ref> The [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]]'s statistics from the Fourth of July festivities in 2003 indicate that sparklers were involved in a majority (57%) of fireworks injuries sustained by children under five years of age.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Dangers of Fireworks|journal=Topical Fire Research Series|volume=5|issue=4|publisher=U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center|date=June 2005|url=http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v5i4.pdf|access-date=2011-06-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207052451/http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v5i4.pdf |archive-date=2010-12-07 }}</ref>

Subsequent reports from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission about "Fireworks-Related Deaths, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries, and Enforcement Activities" indicate:{{needs update|date=December 2024}}
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=2|Year !! rowspan=2|Estimated<br>injuries !!colspan=2|% Estimated sparklers-related injuries
|-
! On all fireworks-<br>related injuries !!For children<br>under 5 years old
|-
| 2011<ref>"[https://www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/113888/2011fwreport.pdf Fireworks-Related Deaths, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries, and Enforcement Activities During 2011]", [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]], June 2012.</ref> ||align=right| 1100 || 17% || 36%
|-
| 2012<ref>"[https://cpsc.gov/Global/Research-and-Statistics/Injury-Statistics/Fuel-Lighters-and-Fireworks/Fireworks_Report_2012.pdf Fireworks-Related Deaths, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries, and Enforcement Activities During 2012]", [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]], June 2013.</ref>||align=right| 600 || 12% || 30%
|-
| 2013<ref>"[https://www.cpsc.gov/Global/Research-and-Statistics/Injury-Statistics/Fuel-Lighters-and-Fireworks/2013FireworksReport.pdf Fireworks-Related Deaths, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries, and Enforcement Activities During 2013]", [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]], June 2014</ref>||align=right| 2300 || 31% || 79%
|-
| 2014<ref>"[https://www.cpsc.gov/Global/Research-and-Statistics/Injury-Statistics/Fuel-Lighters-and-Fireworks/Fireworks_Report_2014.pdf Fireworks-Related Deaths, Emergency Department-Treated Injuries, and Enforcement Activities During 2014]", [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]], June 2015</ref>||align=right| 1400 || 19%  || 61%
|}

The devices burn at a high temperature (as hot as 1000°[[Celsius|C]] to 1600°C, or 1800°[[Fahrenheit|F]] to 3000°F), depending on the fuel and oxidizer used, more than sufficient to cause severe skin burns or ignite clothing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sparklers Can Burn at 2,000 Degrees Fahrenheit|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/149699/fireworksparkler.pdf|publisher=United States Consumer Product Safety Commission|accessdate=11 August 2014}}</ref> Safety experts recommend that adults ensure children who handle sparklers be properly warned, supervised and wearing [[Flammability|non-flammable]] [[clothing]]. As with all fireworks, sparklers are also capable of accidentally initiating wildfires. This is especially true in drier areas; in Australia, for instance, sparkler-related [[Bushfires in Australia|bushfire]] accidents have led to their banning at public outdoor events during summer like [[Australia Day]] celebrations.<ref>[https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/mediareleases/Pages/MediaRelease.aspx?ItemId=588 Put Safety First This Australia Day], DFES, January 2012</ref>

'''Sparkler bombs''' are home-made devices constructed by binding together as many as 300 sparklers with tape, leaving one extended to use as a fuse.  In 2008, three deaths were attributed to the devices,<ref name='wsjBomb'/> which can be ignited accidentally by heat or friction. Since they usually contain more than 50 milligrams of the same explosive powder found in [[firecracker]]s, they are illegal in the U.S. under [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives]] (ATF) regulations.<ref name='wsjBomb'>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704699604575343214252663030 'Sparkler Bombs' Mar Celebrations], Wall Street Journal</ref>

[[File:Sparklers - tokyo - 2020 8 11.webm|thumb|Sparklers in [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]]]

==In art and popular culture==
In 1999, the artists Tobias Kipp and Timo Pitkämö developed a technique of drawing portraits with burning sparklers on paper, which they called [[pyrography|pyrografie]]. Since then the two artists have drawn more than 20,000 pyroportraits.<ref>[http://www.pyrografie.de/ Pyrografie]</ref> In 2007, art group [[Monochrom]] lit 10,000 bound sparklers which it described as "symbolic liberation" from [[monotheistic]] traditions.<ref>[http://www.monochrom.at/free-bariumnitrate/ Free Bariumnitrate]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227002952/http://www.monochrom.at/free-bariumnitrate/ |date=February 27, 2007 }}</ref> 
A large group from Toronto, Ontario, Canada also held an event displaying 10,000 sparklers to symbolize brightness, intensity, warmth and creativity.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110724031634/http://reinventwinter.net/ Article title]}} Reinventwinter.net</ref>

==See also==
* [[Consumer fireworks]]
* [[Senko hanabi]], Japanese style sparkler.

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{commonscat}}
[[Category:Types of fireworks]]
[[Category:Diwali]]