U.S. health care at 250; fireworks sent 13,000 to the ED; few know hot dogs' risks — Morning Medical Update

250 years, twice the life expectancy

In 1776, few Americans lived past middle age. Today the average nears 80.

When the Declaration of Independence was signed, illness, injury and childbirth made living past middle age far from certain, and life expectancy in the early 1800s sat around 36 years. That average says more about high infant and child mortality than about short adult lives: the 56 men who signed the Declaration averaged about 44, and Benjamin Franklin was 70. Life expectancy has since roughly doubled to nearly 80, reaching 76.5 years for men and 81.4 for women, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

Public health historian James Colgrove, Ph.D., M.P.H., of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health credits much of that gain not to clinical medicine but to population-level measures: mass vaccination, starting with George Washington's 1777 order to inoculate the Continental Army against smallpox; the municipal water and sewer systems cities built through the 19th century to curb cholera, typhoid and dysentery; and tobacco control after the 1964 Surgeon General's report tied smoking to a nine- to tenfold jump in lung cancer risk.

Colgrove notes the progress has been neither automatic nor evenly shared, citing a persistent gap between Black and White Americans' average life expectancy and public health gains won over the objections of entrenched commercial interests. Columbia's Mailman School traces five turning points in that history, and LiveNOW from FOX has more on how daily life has changed since 1776.

Fireworks sent an estimated 13,000 to the ED last year

Around the Fourth, an average of 280 people a day land in the emergency department, often bystanders and children.

Heading into the 250th Fourth of July celebration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported at least 15 deaths and an estimated 13,000 emergency department (ED)-treated fireworks injuries in 2025, with roughly 1,300 tied to sparklers alone. The 15-to-24 age group accounted for the largest share, and burns to the hands, fingers and head were most common. The worst incidents often involved devices that tipped over, malfunctioned or were set off too close to bystanders.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology flags the eye toll: sparklers, which burn above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, cause about 1,400 eye injuries a year, and in the two weeks around the holiday an average of 280 people a day land in the ED with fireworks injuries. Bystanders and children carry much of that risk — one study cited by the Academy found 65% of those hurt were bystanders, and 60% were younger than 25. For a fireworks eye injury, the Academy advises seeking care immediately and warns against rubbing or rinsing the eye, removing lodged debris, applying pressure or ointment, or taking aspirin or ibuprofen.

Most Americans miss hot dogs' health risks

Processed meat is a known carcinogen, and colorectal cancer is climbing among younger adults.

Americans will eat an estimated 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July, and a new Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult survey suggests most don't know the health risks. Among 2,201 U.S. adults polled June 22-24, 59% said they eat hot dogs at least monthly, but nearly 90% were unsure or unaware of the specific risks of processed meat.

Those risks are well documented: the World Health Organization classifies processed meat as carcinogenic to humans, and the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research cite evidence that it causes colorectal cancer, with about 50 grams a day — roughly one hot dog — tied to an 18% higher risk. The finding lands as colorectal cancer shifts younger; the American Cancer Society's 2024 cancer statistics report notes it is now the leading cause of cancer death in men ages 40 to 49 and men ages 20 to 39, and an analysis of CDC data cited by the group found steep relative increases among children and teens since 1999, albeit off small absolute numbers.

Stephanie McBurnett, a registered dietitian with the group, said early and frequent processed-meat exposure can cause lasting harm in children and recommended plant-based alternatives; in the survey, 46% said they would be very or somewhat likely to choose a veggie dog once told of the risks.