Risk of injuries rises due to homemade potash and carbide guns

During Diwali, there has been a rise in cases of serious injuries due to the increasing use of homemade potash and sulphur-based explosives as alternatives to traditional firecrackers. Doctors at AIIMS Delhi have appealed for preventive measures to be taken to avoid injuries caused by such homemade explosives.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, videos demonstrating methods of making homemade firecrackers, including carbide guns, are circulating on social media. Mixtures such as potash (potassium chlorate) and sulphur are used in these explosives. Data from the last two years from the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery and the Dr Rajendra Prasad (RP) Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS show that cases of injuries caused by potash and carbide guns have been recorded in addition to traditional firecrackers.

According to statistics from the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery, 70 cases of burn injuries caused by firecrackers were recorded in the year 2024, while separately, 17 cases were potash-related burn injuries. In the year 2025, this number increased to 80 burn injuries caused by firecrackers and 10 potash-related burn injuries. A hospital official stated that previously, the department only recorded data for firecrackers, lamps, and electrical burns, but now injuries caused by potash mixtures have to be recorded separately.

Additionally, in the year 2025, 40 cases of injuries related to carbide guns were recorded during Diwali at AIIMS's RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, which is a first-time occurrence. A total of 200 eye injury cases were recorded in the year 2025, which is higher than the figure of 160 in the year 2024. According to the hospital official, 25% of the total injuries caused by carbide guns were serious. Most of the victims facing these injuries were boys aged 7 to 15 years. Most injuries from carbide guns occur on the face and eyes because children lean close while igniting them.

According to seven years of data from Safdarjung Hospital, burn cases recorded during Diwali increased from 145 in 2019 to 216 in 2024. There was a decrease in these figures during the Covid-19 years, but they increased again thereafter. In the year 2025, the Burns and Plastic Surgery Department of Safdarjung Hospital recorded 216 burn cases during Diwali, of which 198 were caused by firecrackers and 18 by lamps. This hospital has not provided separate data for potash-related burns.

Dr Radhika Tandon, Professor of Ophthalmology at AIIMS, says that given the pattern of injuries seen last year, it is necessary to take preventive measures before this Diwali. She further stated that in the past, carbide guns were used more by farmers to scare animals away from fields.

Doctors have warned that homemade firecrackers can be extremely dangerous as their chemical composition, manufacture, and explosive power are not regulated like controlled firecrackers. Children and youth are particularly vulnerable when they attempt to assemble or ignite these devices.