A. M-80s are a forbidden explosive and an Illegal Explosive Device (IED). They along with cannon crackers, silver salutes, cherry bombs and other large, hand held firecrackers were the fireworks items that were involved in most of the injuries related to fireworks. These large, hand held explosive devices are still involved in the majority of serious injuries related to fireworks, even though they were banned federally by the 1966 Child Protection Act.
M-80s were a military simulator that became popular after World War II. They are a simple heavy cardboard tube with the ends glued in and a fuse, usually visco fuse (aka safety fuse or cannon fuse) out the middle. They were waterproof and could be used in any weather and would go off even if thrown into a puddle of water.
The M-80s made to these military specs could be compared to TNT or sticks of dynamite, but anything else is more speculation than anything else. What was made in legitimate factories up until 1967 varied a great deal, which was also a problem. They are cheap and easy to make and if one factory took a few shortcuts or the workers rushed to fill the seasonal demand, some of them would reach the marketplace with major flaws.
They also varied widely in power because they use different compositions, or different casings or combinations. Most of these comparisons are exaggerations from the days fireworks outlets would try to brag up the power of their particular brands.
M-80s are now only available on the black market and are made in little, clandestine factories and in some cases outside the US. These factories have little interest in quality control and building brand loyalty, so what is out on the street today varies significantly.
One problem with M-80s is they are usually held in one hand and ignited with the other and then thrown. If the fuse is fast or there is a leak around the fuse, the M-80 will go off in the hand of the user or sometimes as they are in the act of throwing it. It is a powerful enough explosion to tear the fingers off an adult's hand.
If the fuse is slow the person may approach it to see if "it went out to re-ignite it", and it may go off in their face.
The biggest problem is they are often misused, often intentionally. They make a loud boom and will scare or startle anyone nearby, even someone who is expecting it. Frequently they were thrown at or near people as a "prank" to startle people. Or placed inside mailboxes, buckets, bottles or other objects to see if they could be blown apart or projected into the air.
The explosion itself can cause burns and other injuries, even if it goes off a few feet away from someone. The casings can fly at a high rate of speed and cause injury if close enough to someone. And of course if the M-80 is placed or lands near something, the explosion can create shrapnel from that nearby object that is potentially dangerous.
The damage M-80s and their cousins did was also high. Flushing the waterproof varieties down toilets caused expensive damage to many schools in the 50s and 60s. Rural mailboxes were frequent targets of pranksters too. And the deliberate attempts to scare or startles people caused a number of serious injuries too.
The firecrackers available today in the US are limited to 50 mg of composition, and thus are much less powerful. They are also generally made with a paper casing, which won't send fragments flying like cardboard casings. They are not waterproof either, so can't be flushed down toilets to damage plumbing.
Injuries related to CPSC firecrackers are much lower than the M-80s, even though the two are still categorized the same in the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) surveys.
Home - Mighty-Mite - Precocious Pyrotechnics - AFN - Skyrockers - Symposium - FAQ
© July 1996, Charles P. Weeth
TM, La Crosse, WI USA. All rights reserved worldwide.Revised March 16, 1998