Planning to take in one of those great fireworks displays on the Fourth of July? Be careful. Those fireworks may leave you and your family with more than a patriotic feeling.
Fireworks pollution litters the ground, contaminates water supplies, and rains down chemicals and heavy metals that contribute to a wide range of serious health problems.
Perchlorate, which can interfere with thyroid function and metabolism, and may be detrimental to mental development in fetuses and young children, is one of the chemicals produced by the rockets' red glare.
Most researchers say a single fireworks display probably won't do you and your family serious harm, despite the toxins and heavy metals it produces--although the risks are higher for babies and unborn children--but repeated or long-term exposure can be a real problem for people who work around pyrotechnics.
Maybe it's time for a change in the way we celebrate our independence.
Photo by Getty Images
Comments
Well done, Larry, you’re still doing it with the item on fireworks. It would be an additional benefit if you were to add the damage firework displays do to the well-being of animals. The deep sound of the explosions often does irreparable damage to their sensitive hearing systems, and even if that does not happen, they do become very frightened and confused, even if they are in familiar surroundings. Imagine what it does to all those creatures who live in the wild or without homes!
well sir
lets focus on bigger environmental problems
firework pollution is a joke ok?
this only happens once a year, get over it
i just skimed through a firework pollution site on geocities and that idiot brings up “noise pollution” i loled at that
that shows that person cant bring up anything better against fireworks than “Noise Pollution” LOLSS
Interestingly, I recently read that many soldiers who’ve returned from Iraq and Afgahnistan, particularly those who were victims of or witnesses to IED attacks, cringe in horror at fireworks.
No, Ms. White, they are not cringing in horror at fireworks displays: they’re cringing in horror because they’ve realized they risked their lives for worthless idiots back home. ;=)
We have so damaged the Earth that EVERY environmental problem is a big problem and to think otherwise is not only naive, it is contributing to the noise pollution.
Maybe we should outlaw thunder too
What a stupid way to celebrate 4th of July with a bunch of noise, smoke and filth of fireworks. Not to mention making the Chinese Communist richer. If you think i’m wrong I challenge you to join the military and have fun shooting and bombing the hell out of some one in a war zone, oh too bad, you might get yourself killed.
Trains, planes, automobiles and… people’s mouths are supposed to be “used responsibly” too. Hah! And “litter” is and always has been a problem: outlaw McDonald’s and Wendy’s! Someone MUST be getting a paycheck to write this crap – what a job!
The perchlorates are mostly destroyed in the reaction as they are reduced during the explosion, creating chlorides and oxygen. They are not very toxic anyway with only suspected effects. Just about any chemical, including DHMO, has many confirmed or suspected deleterious effects on humans. What one does have to worry about is barium, which is a heavy metal used to make yellow-green fireworks, and antimony. Bismuth trioxide is harmless unless you are an eco-nut. Several other metals and metal salts used in fireworks (Li, Sr, Ca, K, Na) are harmless as well.
I wrote this without looking at your main article, where I saw nonsense about barium being radioactive. Become a chemist! Copper compounds do not contain dioxin, although dioxin-producing chemicals may be added to react with the copper compounds. Red lead is not commonly used anymore now that bismuth oxide has replaced its use. I doubt that cadmium is commonly used either. Potassium, lithium, rubidium, and strontium are about as harmful as sand. Now if they contained osmium tetroxide, that would be a different story.