A watusi is a type of Christmas firework that is popular in the Philippines. [1] Its ingredients are yellow phosphorus, potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate, and trinitrotoluene. [2] [3]
The ingredients in the firework are highly toxic, and ingestion can lead to painful death. [4] In particular, children have been killed by watusi fireworks after sucking on them or mistaking them for sweets. [2] The yellow phosphorus, the most dangerous component of the watusi, may explode and rip apart the esophagus when ingested. [5] The Department of Health is attempting to forbid watusi, [6] [2] because it caused hundreds of children to die of phosphorus poisoning. [7]