Pumpkin Carving Practices that Don`t Make the Cut
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
Most families think of Halloween and fun, but the mystery of the season could turn to misery if you`re not carving carefully.
The American Society for Surgery of the Hand has a warning for pumpkin carvers -be careful. Injuries to the tendons that bend the hand increase by 25 percent this time of year because of carving accidents. Experts say leave the kitchen knives alone when you start to carve. Tools in kits that are specially designed for the job are blunt enough to protect human skin if you make a wrong move. Slicing injuries to tendons can require surgery, physical therapy and can take 4 months of recovery time. Fire marshals say light your jack-o-lanterns with flashlights instead of candles. A candle-lit pumpkin sitting on a porch could fall prey to a clumsy trick-or-treater. A small misstep like that could start a huge house fire.
