Environment

The high cost of fireworks

By Kim ⋅ June 24, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅ Post a comment

A brief examination of the biological and environmental impact of fireworks.

The breathtaking colors of the annual, nationwide celebrations have a far greater cost just their sticker price.

Toxic Color Spectrum

RED strontium salts, lithium salts lithium carbonate, Li2CO3 = deep red strontium carbonate, SrCO3 = bright red ORANGE calcium salts calcium chloride, CaCl2 YELLOW sodium salts sodium chloride, NaCl GREEN barium compounds + chlorine producer barium chloride, BaCl2 BLUE copper compounds + chlorine producer copper(I) chloride, CuCl PURPLE mixture of strontium (red), and copper (blue) compounds SILVER burning aluminum, titanium, or magnesium

Every year, across America, cities, communities, families, and friends celebrate Independence Day with fireworks. The ritual usually begins a few days prior to July 4th and trickles off a few days after the 4th. During this one week period, give or take a day or two, Americans set things on fire in celebration of Independence. Many trying to outshine their own previous displays - or that of their neighbors, friends, or foes.

Oohs and aahs often come from all points of the compass within viewing distance. From simple sparklers, bottle rockets, and roman candles to complex devices requiring timing, planning, and fire departments on standby - we light it all up and cheer. The only limiting factor, for most displays, is monetary budget. These pyrotechnic extravaganzas have many hidden environmental costs.

While the composition of a firework will vary depending upon the desired effect, most produce smoke and dust containing heavy metals, sulfur-coal compounds, and other noxious and toxic chemicals. Have you ever noticed that heavy sulfur smell during and after a fireworks display?

Read More…

What is a firework?
Toxic Lifecycle, Tragic Lifecycle
What goes into a typical firework?
Regulations & Responsibility
Safety
Alternatives

What is a firework?

Gunpowder is used to make fireworks by mixing it with specific chemical compounds that produce the desired color and effects. The standard composition for gunpowder currently manufactured for use by pyrotechnicians was developed as early as 1780 and consists of 75% potassium nitrate, 15% softwood charcoal, and 10% sulfur. The ratios may vary by country or purpose but the basic anatomy of a firework has remained relatively unchanged for centuries.

Toxic Lifecycle, Tragic Lifecycle

The entire lifecycle of a firework is toxic, pollutes the environment and often promotes child or slave labor.

It begins with the manufacturing process - many raw materials and a lot of energy are used to create fireworks. Most fireworks contain mined elements and minerals, which are often isolated using chemicals, in factories that pollute. The firework itself is then encased in paper, plastic-coated paper, or cardboard tubing - a shining example of deforestation. Fuses are then attached and the finished product is packaged before it begins a journey of thousands of miles across land and oceans, further polluting the environment. Eventually, it is sold at a roadside fireworks stand or depot along a U.S. highway before finally being lit and sent into the sky for a final, spectacular, chemical rainbow of light, which further helps spread its’ chemical cocktail into our environment.

In countries such as India and China, a lot of the manufacturing is done by children as young as 10. In China, children actually manufacture fireworks in schools, sometimes with tragic consequences. Children in India roll cardboard tubes at home, they dye cardboard tubes, they insert fuses into tubes. These children often don’t go to school, they work in factories or at home manufacturing fireworks for as little as $0.50 USD per day. India has taken measures to stop the practice and put regulations in place that prohibits the employment of children in fireworks manufacture, however many of the jobs are now outsoured to private contractors who then employ children. China employs political prisoners - they have no say in the matter.

Quite simply, the rules and regulations promoting freedom and independence - what we celebrate on July 4th - and prohibiting forced labor, are not in place worldwide. U.S. law does require the Federal government to refuse to buy goods made by forced or child labor abroad, but it is not enforced effectively.

What goes into a typical firework?

I’m not a scientist, so what does this all mean? Here’s a brief overview of some of the worst offenders. This is only a partial list of some of the properties of some ingredients commonly found in many fireworks:

Regulations & Responsibility

Fireworks manufacturing, use, transportation, and safety are subject to regulations by the National Fire Protection Association, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory. These organizations actively enforce the regulations, however the effectiveness is questioned as many fireworks slip through the system in a variety of ways: from those made in violation of child labor laws to those transported across state boundaries to circumvent state regulations.

As the impact of fireworks becomes known many states are preventing the use of fireworks in general or limiting their use to certain classes of fireworks. American Pyrotechnics publishes a breakdown by state, of the laws and regulations regarding fireworks. Other organizations are taking a pro-active stance and changing how they do things. The Walt Disney Company, who host hundreds of fireworks displays each year, is now using compressed air instead of gunpowder and has made details of their patents and the technology available to the pyrotechnics industry. Sea World, in San Diego, California, cancelled its’ fireworks displays when the San Diego Coastkeeper filed suit against them citing that displays were illegal under the Clean Water Act.

Fireworks that are “Made in the U.S.A.” are subject to federal regulations. Across the U.S. large swaths of land are contanimated by fireworks manufacturing plants and hazardous material has been improperly stored and transported.

The by-products of traditional fireworks combustion varies based upon: the type of firework used; the amount of gunpowder used; the type of oxidizer used; desired colors; and launch method. They all produce smoke and dust, contain heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and sulfur or coal compounds.

It is difficult to measure the exact toxicity and contamination by fireworks directly, and some argue that the amount of toxins and contaminants released are miniscule in comparison to other pollutants. The long-term effects of exposure to even low levels of certain toxins is unknown. Individuals suffering from asthma or chemcial sensitivities will suffer an immediate health impact and negative side effects. What is not disputed is the physical contamination and pollution derived from falling debris as fireworks are launched and the property damage the debris can inflict - from fires to soil and water pollution.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Clean Air Act place restrictions on the levels of allowable contamination and pollution[PDF], however the Air Quality Index (AQI) fine particle reports for the days leading up to and shortly after July 4th (2007 data) indicate an increase in particles within the air. During these few days, as illustrated in the animation below, many areas across the nation see their AQI significantly decline.

Safety

In 2000, fireworks were involved in 10 deaths and an estimated 11,000 injuries. Many of the injuries were burns that required treatment in U.S. hospital emergency rooms - most often to the eyes, hands, head, face. Children under the age of 15 accounted for almost half of those injuries, a large majority of which, typically two-thirds, occur in the month of July. Over half the children injured were under parental or adult supervision. Even more surprising - 22% of those injured were bystanders. It does not take an aerial device to cause an injury - the most common culprits are firecrackers and seemingly innocuous sparklers, which burn at up to 1,800°F and quickly set a child on fire.

When you consider the explosive power of some of the simpler fireworks it is not surprising that there are also more fires on July 4th than any other day of the year as well. From 2000-2004 an estimated 32,300 fires were reported each year - 2,700 of those were building and vehicle fires. Bottle rockets, for example, can travel up to 200 miles per hour, are very susceptible to ricochet, and are enclosed within a casing that can burn for a few seconds to a few minutes - this makes them easily capable of setting trees, homes, and other property on fire. M80 and M100 cherry bombs, which are illegal in many states, contain enough explosive energy that grouping 16 M80s or 8 M100s and detonating them together has the equivalent explosive power of a stick of commercial grade dynamite.

Alternatives

There are a number of other ways to celebrate which are less harmful - even beneficial - and will provide much longer satisfaction:

• Spread the word! Pass this on, share it, digg it (links below)
• Host a laser light show - with no negative environmental impacts or pollutants.
• Throw a huge, green party
• If you must use fireworks ensure they are made in the U.S.A. and use fireworks that employ compressed air to launch.
• Electronic fireworks display lamps.
• Support a local charity or school - that money could go to much better use!
• Create a college fund for your own child or a child in need.
• Purchase carbon offsets that help the environment.
• Plant a tree or protect the rain forests.
• Take action against fireworks in your community.

Additional Sources

A variety of sources, not linked above, were also used for this article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:LoyalSoldier/WIP_Firework_Chemicals
http://science-student.com/interesting-science/ever-wonder-how-fireworks-are-made
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/9200/toxic_fireworks.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Fireworks.html
http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/blfireworks.htm
http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/fireworks/fireworks.htm
http://www.bigfireworks.com/t-Fireworks-Chemicals.aspx

Fireworks image by Bruin, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.

Tags: air pollution, air quality, Environment, fireworks, Health, Pollution, safety, toxins