BAN ALL ILLEGAL FIREWORKS

Pollution, Pollution and more Pollution

Aug 28, 2007

As if we really need more pollution

Ever wonder what?’s in that smoke that emanates from fireworks or what is contained within fireworks that go into the sky and burst with many colors? You will probably be surprised to know these bursting fireworks are bursting with some harmful and sometimes poisonous pollutants.

How bad is it?
"The Swedish technical magazine "New Teknik" (October 1999) estimated that 3 tonnes of lead, 60 tonnes of chromium and several kilograms of cadmium will be sprinkled over Sweden during a couple of hours on the coming New Year's Eve. What will be the score for Australia?" asks Elizabeth O'Brien of The LEAD Group."Fireworks can contain carcinogenic sulphur-coal compounds and spread an odour of black gunpowder. Radioactive barium makes the green sparkling colour and considerable amounts of strontium are also spread" says O'Brien.

According to New Scientist (3 July 1999), fireworks also cause dioxin pollution and blue fireworks release the most dioxins. This is because the copper responsible for their colour catalyses the formation of the poisons when chlorinated chemicals in fireworks burn, according to the latest issue of Chemosphere (vol39, p 925).
According to Monica Kauppi of the Heavy Metal Bulletin, "During the Stockholm Water Festival in 1996, the levels of pollutants in the air were measured before and after the fireworks by an environmental agency. Arsenic levels were doubled and the levels of mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc and chromium were 4-5 times elevated.