This weekend, John Weiter will help explode one of the biggest fireworks displays in the country, at the Arch grounds. But he says it is unsafe for consumers to use the less powerful fireworks that Americans routinely set off in their back yards on the Fourth of July.

"I think they are incredibly dangerous," Weiter says of consumer fireworks. He is project manager in the St. Louis office of Zambelli Fireworks Internationale, a fourth-generation fireworks company that produces licensed, commercial fireworks shows. On Sunday, Zambelli will fire off about 8,000 aerial shells that will burst 300 feet above the Arch and can be seen - and heard - from miles away.

As for the consumer variety of fireworks aimed at home use, Weiter says many people assume they are safe, even for children, because they are readily available at roadside stands, by mail and over the Internet.

Injuries from fireworks have decreased - even as purchases of fireworks have increased since the nation''s bicentennial. Still, hospital emergency rooms treated about 9,300 people for fireworks-related injuries last year, according to an analysis to be released today by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Weiter compares the danger of consumer fireworks to a firearm: "And if you saw that firearm at the side of a 5-year-old, it would cause you alarm," he says. "I fear for everybody''s safety."

Illinois bans fireworks such as firecrackers, bottle rockets and Roman candles, but allows the sale of sparklers, smoke bombs and glow snakes.

St. Louis bans all consumer fireworks, except for licensed displays such as the Arch festivities. St. Louis County bans even small fireworks such as sparklers and snakes. Fireworks are legal throughout most of Missouri and in 42 other states.

At this time of the year, fireworks stands dot the highways in Jefferson, St. Charles and Franklin counties, among others. Fireworks can be sold in Missouri from June 20 through July 10 and again before New Year''s Eve celebrations.

In St. Charles city and county, where fireworks stands began sprouting up two weeks ago, selling fireworks is legal between June 20 and July 6. Discharging fireworks is legal in the county between July 2 and July 6, however in St.Charles County''s larger cities, selling and shooting off fireworks is illegal.

On Tuesday, Dana McNew of Arnold went fireworks shopping with her children - Ashley, 9; Hayley, 5; and Tyler, 2. The family drove to a nearby Fireworks City, a big, blue-and-white striped carnival tent on Richardson Road, a half-mile east of Interstate 55.

Lonnie Joyce, a 17-year-old salesman at the stand, points to a shelf of large fireworks cases selling for as much as $224. "People go crazy with them," he said.

The McNew family was looking for smaller stuff. "Sparklers are probably the most dangerous we have," Dana McNew said.

Mark Loyd owns Atomic Fireworks, which he says operates about 30 roadside stands in the St. Louis area and scores more in six other states. He says federal regulation has made consumer fireworks safer than golf, fishing, water skiing, softball, baseball, tennis, bowling or bicycle riding.

Of golf, he says: "People get hit with balls or they hurt their backs."

Loyd says the Consumer Product Safety Commission has banned cherry bombs, M-80s, large aerial bombs and large skyrockets. "They''ve even banned little cracker balls and torpedoes. They''ve taken the position that any fireworks sold are safe."

Loyd points to what he calls strict regulation by state and local governments. Sales to children under 14 are banned in most places, he says.

Still, children 14 years old and younger suffer about half of all fireworks-related injuries, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Typically, two-thirds of fireworks injuries occur near the July Fourth holiday.

Ernestine Thomas lost two children in her family and four others were injured in a fire on July 3, 1989, at the family''s house in St. Louis. She said her 7-year-old grandson had been lighting sparklers on the gas stove.

The 7-year-old, Julius Ming, died in the fire, along with his cousin, Cassandra Clark, 2. A 6-year-old grandson suffered brain damage when he was thrown from a second-floor window to escape flames.

"The kids had got ahold of the fireworks," Thomas said. She advised parents: "Watch them - be real careful."

It isn''t just children who get injured. Two years ago, Theresa Gluckhertz was at home outside of Wright City with her husband when a friend brought over a box of M-80s. The friend lighted one of the fireworks. "We still don''t know what happened, whether a spark fell or whether he dropped it," Gluckhertz recalls.

The explosion ruptured the eardrums of all three, burned Gluckhertz and left holes in her right arm. She still has scars on her face, arm and back.

Later, she let neighborhood children see what was underneath her bandages. She explained: "I wanted them to see how dangerous it was."

In St. Charles, the fire department blames fireworks for two fires last weekend. After fireworks exploded in shrubbery, fire spread to a tree and then an apartment building, causing $10,000 in damage. The other was a brush fire.

Dr. Brad Freeman is a trauma surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He recalls a 14-year-old boy who said he was playing with fireworks when an explosion blew his hand off at the wrist.

"Recreational fireworks should be outlawed," Freeman says. "It''s an unnecessary risk."

Consumer watchdogs, however, say the public may not get a clear idea of exactly what''s been outlawed based on the offerings at some fireworks stands.

A spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission says the agency''s undercover investigators have found a mixture of legal and illegal fireworks being sold at roadside stands.

But fireworks are a tradition at sporting and other events. "They''re loud, they''re beautiful and they''re brilliant," says Weiter, the local Zambelli manager.

Sunday night, Zambelli will cap the holiday weekend with a fireworks display that Fair St. Louis Executive Director Rich Meyers estimates is worth about $200,000, including donated materials. Shells will burst at 1,100 feet in the air for about 20 minutes.

Although some people complain about the noise, Weiter says even more call with a different complaint: "Use something bigger and louder."

FIREWORKS SAFETY
Highly explosive M-80s, cherry bombs and quarter sticks have been banned under federal law since 1966. Additionally, it is illegal to sell mail order kits that include the chemicals and components to make such large firecrackers. If you do decide to set off fireworks on your own, be sure to follow these important safety tips:

• Make sure the fireworks are legal in your area.
• Read and follow all warnings and instructions.
• A responsible adult should closely supervise all fireworks activities.
• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves and flammable materials.
• Light one item at a time, then move back quickly.
• Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them in metal or glass containers.
• Keep a bucket of water or a hose handy in case of a malfunction or fire.

Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission

Adam Jadhav, Phil Sutin, Elisa Crouch, Trisha Howard and Steve Bolhafner of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.