Watusi (firework)
Type of Christmas firework
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A watusi is a type of Christmas firework that is popular in the Philippines.[1] Its ingredients are yellow phosphorus, potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate, and trinitrotoluene.[2][3]
The ingredients in the firework are highly toxic, and ingestion can lead to painful death.[4] In particular, children have been killed by watusi fireworks after sucking on them or mistaking them for sweets.[2] The yellow phosphorus, the most dangerous component of the watusi, may explode and rip apart the esophagus when ingested.[5] The Department of Health is attempting to forbid watusi,[6][2] because it caused hundreds of children to die of phosphorus poisoning.[7]
