The Fourth of July holiday is full of swimming, food and fireworks. Experts say there are many potential health risks, if you are not careful.

We asked three local experts to tell you what you should know about avoiding these dangers.

Safety first around water

On the Fourth of July, people must remember to be cautious while at pool parties and the beach, experts say.

An annual average of 390 pool or spa-related drownings for children under 15 occurred from 2007 to 2009, according to a 2012 report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

According to an analysis of media reports by USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming, in 2011, there were 25 drowning incidents involving children under 15 reported over the week of the Fourth of July holiday — June 30 through July 6, the CPSC said. In 2010, 24 drowning incidents were reported during that week, the CPSC said.

Lisa Schwing, trauma program manager at Dayton Children’s Medical Center, has 30 years of emergency and trauma experience. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 14, she said.

“Kids drown quickly and quietly,” she said. “A drowning child cannot cry or shout for help. It is important to remember that simple steps save lives. ... The most important precaution for parents is active supervision. On Fourth of July weekend, many families are at parties and around water with lots of other people. They think someone must be watching the children when many times, nobody is.”

Here are Schwing’s expert swimming safety tips.

• Always actively supervise children in and around water. Don’t leave, even for a moment. Stay where you can see, hear and reach kids in water. Avoid talking or texting on the phone, preparing a meal, reading and other distractions.

• If you have a pool or spa, or if your child visits a home that has a pool or spa, it should be surrounded on all four sides by a fence at least four feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates that lock. Studies estimate that this type of isolation fencing could prevent 50 to 90 percent of child drowning in residential pools.

• Teach children about the dangers of swimming around drains. Children should not swim or play near any drain or suction outlet.

• Make sure all pools and spas have compliant anti-entrapment drain covers and back-up devices to ensure safer places for children to swim.

• Know how to swim, and enroll your kids in swimming lessons. Swimming lessons will not make your child immune to drowning, but it is an important skill for both adults and children to learn. Other less experienced swimmers can get experienced swimmers in trouble in the water. There is no substitute for active supervision.

• Don’t leave toys in or near the pool, where they could attract unsupervised kids. For extra protection, consider a pool alarm and alarms on the doors, windows and gates leading to the pool.

• Don’t rely on inflatable swimming toys such as “water wings” (inflatables worn on the arms) and noodles; these toys should never be used in place of U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets. If your child can’t swim, stay within an arm’s reach.

• Learn infant and child CPR. In less than two hours, you can learn effective interventions that can give a fighting chance to a child whose breathing and heartbeat have stopped.

• Discourage horseplay like acting like you are struggling or not conscious. Always act on the swimmer’s behalf if you witness this.

• Keep rescue equipment, and learn how to use it. Keep a phone and emergency numbers nearby in case there is an emergency.

Food-borne illnesses

During barbecue season, your chances of getting sick from undercooked or improperly handled food may be higher, experts say.

Independence Day is the No. 1 holiday for barbecues and outdoor cooking, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, 48 million people — or one in six Americans — get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die of food-borne diseases.

“When we think of holiday picnics, Fourth of July cookouts standout with visions of grilled meats, and picnic tables full of Grandma’s potato salad and all the other trimmings, but all these things could pose a potential risk for food-borne illness

if you don’t take proper precautions,” said Jackie Dahlberg, MS, RD, LD, a clinical dietitian at Springfield Regional Medical Center.

“The very young or old, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk for serious adverse reactions, but no one is safe from food poisoning from improper storage or handling of foods.”

Fourth of July cookouts can be a time for “good times with good food” if you follow some simple rules for keeping your food safe, she said.

Here are Dahlberg’s tips.

• First, thaw meats in the refrigerator, not on the counter, to make sure they stay below the proper temperature.

• Never use the same utensils with raw and cooked meats unless they have been thoroughly washed in between.

• Also, use a meat thermometer to make sure meats are cooked to the proper temperature (steak — 145 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare, 170 degrees for well done; hamburgers — 160 degrees; and chicken — 165 degrees.)

• Make sure your grill, and any bowls, platters and utensils are clean when you start.

• Wash hands with warm, soapy water after handling any raw meats.

• Do not use the same cutting boards for meat and veggies, or make sure you cut up veggies first if you have to use the same board.

• Put all dishes back into the refrigerator after being out for two hours, and in extremely high heat (greater than 90 degrees), put foods away after one hour.

• Don’t forget to put away condiments like mayonnaise and salad dressing as well.

• If you don’t use the leftovers within three to four days, it’s time to discard them.

Fireworks accidents

Fireworks can be dangerous, and in some cases, deadly, according to experts.

A report from the CPSC indicates that in 2011, there were reports of four fireworks-related deaths and an estimated 9,600 hospital emergency room treated injuries.

A study conducted by CPSC staff found that 65 percent of all fireworks injuries in 2011 were sustained during the 30 days surrounding the Fourth of July holiday.

More than half of those injuries were the result of unexpected ignition of the device or consumers not using fireworks properly, CPSC said.

Dr. Philip C. Lam is an emergency physician at Fort Hamilton Hospital.

“Every year in July, emergency departments (across the country) treat thousands of firework-related injuries,” he said. “Because it is an explosive, the injuries we see are burns, lacerations, loss of fingers or amputations, contusions, and even death.”

Here are Lam’s recommendations for preventing fireworks accidents.

• Avoid placing fireworks (firecrackers) in glass or metal containers, which can explode, causing shrapnel injury. (Shrapnel refers to small pieces of metal from an explosive shell.)

• Avoid tipover by placing bottle rockets in (a) heavy, stable container.

• Wear protective eye goggles or glasses.

• Don’t ever hold a lighted firecracker with your hand. It can go off or explode prematurely.

• Follow directions for proper use of fireworks to avoid malfunction.

• Avoid mischief. Don’t play around with fireworks.

• Don’t light fireworks too close to each other.

For information on Ohio law related to fireworks, visit www.odh.ohio.gov/features/odhfeatures/fireworks.aspx.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2122 or Jacqueline.Boyle@ coxinc.com.