The Environmental Impact of Fireworks

What to Do About Fireworks? (Ecohotelology, June 25, 2010)

Also discussed here: Eco-Friendly Fireworks Offer Safer Pyrotechnics (Discovery Channel, July 2, 2009)



The first week of July coincides with national holidays that many people associate with fireworks – Independence Day in the US on July 4) and Canada Day on July 1. The review article today looks at the downside of the sound and light produced, noting the development of “eco fireworks” which have a lower impact.

Key Quotes:

“Everyone at or downwind of a pyrotechnic display is getting subjected to levels of these metals that aren't natural levels"

“fireworks ingredients: potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal, sulfur, copper, strontium, barium and oxidizers(chlorates and perchlorates)”

“perchlorates generally dissipate days or weeks after a fireworks show..what stay on are the heavy metals, including strontium, aluminum, copper, barium, rubidium, and cadmium”

“chemicals and heavy metals used in fireworks rain down on land and water, contaminating with materials such as strontium, barium, aluminum, and lithium…perchlorate levels spiked more than 1,000 times above the baseline level for 14 hours after a show”

“Barium..does something really nasty to your insides and gastrointestinal tract,"

“Air-quality monitors generally spike for about three hours after a fireworks show”

“Animal studies have linked perchlorates, such as potassium perchlorate and ammonium perchlorate, to thyroid problems"

“Paper, plastic, and cardboard used to launch fireworks often do not fully disintegrate, meaning that they rain down and litter the are”

“eco fireworks.. replace chlorates and perchlorates with nitrocellulose or materials that are rich in nitrogen… .burn cleaner, produce less smoke, and involve the use of fewer color-producing chemicals such as heavy metals”

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• Fireworks: Change the Tradition (yourdailythread.com)
• Are there fireworks that are safer for the environment than traditional fireworks? (greenanswers.com)
• Green Fireworks for an Eco-Friendly Independence Day (inhabitat.com)