For the President of the German Medical Association, Reinhardt, the firecrackers on New Year's Eve are a recurring annoyance. He calls for a permanent ban. With a view to the Ukraine war and the overburdened clinics, the banging was "completely out of place".
The President of the German Medical Association has spoken out in favor of a "permanent and comprehensive" ban on firecrackers. Klaus Reinhardt told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung that the "unregulated banging" no longer fits in with the times. In addition, it is "bad for the environment and climate and repeatedly leads to serious injuries," says Reinhardt.
Around 8,000 people in Germany suffer an inner ear injury every year from exploding fireworks. Children, adolescents and young adults up to the age of 25 are particularly affected by bang trauma, as well as injuries to the eyes and burns. "This means a heavy additional burden for the employees in the clinics, who have already been working at the limit for months," said Reinhardt.
In the past two years, no firecrackers were allowed to be sold in Germany and private fireworks were banned in certain places. The background was the utilization of the hospitals in the corona pandemic. Such legal restrictions are not yet foreseeable this year.
Reinhardt also wanted a rethink in view of the world situation: It was "completely out of place to welcome the New Year with rockets while a war is raging in Europe," he said. "For numerous refugees from war zones, the New Year's Eve fire triggers bad feelings, some even fear of death. Instead of spending money on firecrackers and rockets, I would prefer a firework display for these people."
The German Environmental Aid (DUH) had already called on Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in November to end the firecrackers "once and for all" this year. With a few simple changes to the Explosives Ordinance, the minister could quickly put an end to environmentally harmful fireworks, said DUH federal manager Jürgen Resch. He is pleased that a growing majority of Germans are in favor of a ban on firecrackers.
