With the 4th of July tomorrow, I know many of you (or at least our American readers) are planning on seeing some fireworks. I'm sure, too, that you all know fireworks are... well, unhealthy for us and the environment. Besides the smoke and nasty chemicals released by the fireworks, they can also leave a lot of litter. Among common chemicals in fireworks are potassium and ammonium perchlorate, which can contaminate ground and surface waters and cause thyroid damage in humans as well as animals. According to a study done by the Environmental Protection Agency, within 14 hours of a fireworks display, perchlorate levels can spike by up to over 1000 times normal levels, and can take up to 80 days to return to normal levels.
A healthier option is in the works. New formulas are being created that replace perchlorate with nitrogen-rich materials or nitrocellulose, which will burn cleaner and produce less smoke. This will also reduce the levels of toxic heavy metals used as color-producing chemicals, such as copper and barium. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a step forward, and small steps can lead to big things.
The problem with these eco-friendlier fireworks will be the price, but that isn't surprising. Label anything as being eco-friendly (or friendlier) and the price always seems to sky rocket.
Sources: PhysOrg.com, Chemical & Engineering News
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
80 days! ugh!
I always wondered about all the pollution/fire hazard from fireworks and why we love them so much!
Thanks!
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Yah, my wife is pretty much allergic to the smoke... it affects her bad... but it's cool that people are always working to innovate. I had no clue or even an inkling that fireworks could be greener.
July 7th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Elisa, I think we love them so much because they are one of those things we've gotten used to having. We people are strange with our traditions
Organic Baby Food, I didn't know fireworks could be greener either, until I found this research! It's good news, I think, since I doubt we are about to stop shooting off fireworks
April 8th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I suppose because fireworks are such an old invention I had always assumed they were pretty envrionmentally friendly. I'm guessing the chemicals mentioned above are what give the explosion colourful patterns.
Thanks for the informative post.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Wedding, I would have thought the opposite - that they are old enough where I wouldn't expect them to be eco. People back then didn't realize these chemicals could be a problem.