Fireworks: Environmental Impact

'The use of fireworks ranges from smaller scale local events such as birthdays or weddings, up to nationwide celebrations, often commemorating specific historical events. In many areas throughout the world New Year is celebrated with widespread fireworks displays. One thing that all these fireworks have in common is that they emit trace gases into the atmosphere and generate dense clouds of smoke, which causes significant short-term air quality degradation with possible impact on human health.

Results of a study on chemical–physical properties of airborne particles (elements, ions, organic, and elemental carbon and particles size distributions) collected during a fireworks episode in Milan, Italy were reported by Vecchi et al. (2008). Elements typically emitted during pyrotechnic displays increased in 1 h as follows: Sr (120 times), Mg (22 times), Ba (12 times), K (11 times), and Cu (6 times). Sr was recognized as the best fireworks tracer because its concentration was very high during the event and lower than, or comparable with, minimum detection limits during other time intervals, suggesting that it was mainly due to pyrotechnic displays. PM10 mass attributed to fireworks was up to 33.6 mg m−3 or about 50% of the total PM10 mass. Major contributors were EC (2.8 mg m−3) and OC (8.1 mg m−3) as well as metals like Mg, K, Sr, Ba, and Cu at a range of 0.07–0.7 mg m−3. Moreno et al. (2007) reported the results of analysis of aerosol samples collected during Las Fallas in Valencia, a 6-day celebration famous for its fireworks displays, and added the comparative data on firework- and bonfire-contaminated atmospheric aerosol samples collected from elsewhere in Spain (Barcelona, L’Alcora, and Borriana) and during the Guy Fawkes celebrations in London. Notable increases in metal aerosol concentrations were observed after the Las Fallas fetivities such as: K (from 500 to 5900 ng m−3), Al (as Al2O3 from around 600 to 2200 ng m−3), Ti (from 200 to 700 ng m−3), Mg (from 100 to 500 ng m−3), Pb (from 17 to 379 ng m−3), Ba (from 39 to 322 ng m−3), Sr (from 3 to 112 ng m−3), Cu (from 12 to 71 ng m−3), and Sb (from 1 to 52 ng m−3). Firecrackers and sparkles were concluded as a significant source of metal pollution in air by Kulshrestha et al. (2004) in a study conducted during Diwali festival in India where metal concentrations in ambient air were observed to be very high as compared to background values on previous days. The order of concentration of metals on the day of festival was observed to be in the order: K > Al > Ba > Mg > Fe > Sr > Na > Ca > Cu > Mn > As > V > Ni > Bi. Specifically, the concentrations of following metals went up several times higher than the values from the previous day of festivities: Ba (1091 times), K (25 times), Al (18 times), and Sr (15 times). Drewnick et al. (2006) measured the chemical composition of fine aerosol particles during New Year’s 2005 fireworks in Mainz, Germany. The main non-refractory components of the firework aerosol were potassium, sulfate, total organics, and chloride. Increased trace gas mixing ratios of methanol, acetonitrile, acetone, and acetaldehyde were observed. Aerosol nitrate and ammonium concentrations were not significantly affected by the fireworks as well as the measured aromatic trace gases. The absolute and relative background concentrations in fireworks related aerosol are provided in Supplementary material (S11). The effects of the burning of fireworks on air quality in Beijing was assessed from the ambient concentrations of various air pollutants (SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, and chemical components in the particles) during the lantern festival in 2006 by Wang et al. (2006). Eighteen ions, 20 elements, and black carbon were measured in PM2.5 and PM10, and the levels of organic carbon were estimated from the concentrations of dicarboxylic acids. Primary components of Ba, K, Sr, Cl−, Pb, Mg and secondary components of C5H6O42−, C3H2O42−, C2O42−, C4H4O42−, SO42−, and NO3− were over five times higher in the lantern days than in the normal days. It was found that over 90% of the total mineral aerosol and 98% of Pb, 43% of total carbon, 28% of Zn, 8% of NO3−, and 3% of SO42− in PM2.5 were from the emissions of fireworks on the lantern night.'

Source: 

Carl Renan Estrellan, Fukuya Iino, Toxic emissions from open burning, Chemosphere, Volume 80, Issue 3, June 2010, Pages 193-207, ISSN 0045-6535, 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.03.057. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653510003711)