Deepavali burn care: Health Ministry says cool water for 10 to 20 minutes, no ice or toothpaste

Cool water comes first in Deepavali burn care. The Union Health Ministry’s 2026 firecracker guidelines ask families to hold a burn under cool running water for 10 to 20 minutes and to keep ice, butter, oil and toothpaste off the skin. The festival falls on Sunday, 8 November.

The next steps follow in order. Slip off rings and watches before the skin swells. Where cloth has stuck to the wound, do not pull it; trim around it. Then cover the area loosely with a clean, dry dressing that will not stick, keep cotton wool away and leave blisters unbroken. Burn surgeons from AIIMS, Safdarjung and RML hospitals contributed to the guidelines. The World Health Organization’s burns fact sheet, dated 21 October, lists the same first aid, suggests about 20 minutes of cooling for smaller burns and rules out traditional pastes.

When to head for a hospital

The ministry asks people to dial 112 or go to a hospital if a burn is larger than the patient’s palm, looks charred, white or leathery, or has lost feeling. Burns on the hands, feet, joints, face, eyes, ears or groin need the same urgency, as does any burn in a child or an elderly person, and any hoarseness or trouble breathing after smoke. Sparklers can reach 1,800 degrees Celsius, the guidelines note, and are not for children under five.

The air before the festival

Smoke is the other worry, and the guidelines tell people with asthma or other breathing illnesses to stay indoors. The Central Pollution Control Board’s 4 pm bulletin on Friday, 6 November put Delhi’s 24-hour air quality index at 382, which it rates “very poor” and links to breathing illness with long exposure. Hyderabad stood at 60, Vijayawada at 64, Tirupati at 79 and Visakhapatnam at 87, all “satisfactory”.

The Commission for Air Quality Management moved Delhi-NCR to Stage III of its pollution plan the same day, as a precaution against forecast severe air. There, the Supreme Court has limited certified green crackers to 6 am-7 am and 8 pm-10 pm on 7 and 8 November. In Andhra Pradesh, a pollution board circular signed on 23 October permits only CSIR-NEERI-certified green crackers in cities and towns with “moderate” or better air. Delhi-NCR’s full ban returns on Monday, 9 November.