– FIREWORKS THAT LEAD TO HARMFUL LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION
BY BRENDAN BOS, POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENT, ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH GROUP, IMPERIAL COLLEGE, LONDON
As children we are taught to be very careful with fireworks. We light our Catherine Wheels, our Sparklers and my personal favourites, Fountains and Rockets, and we run away to a safe distance. Even though we may escape the burns that firework can inflict, when fireworks explode, they release metals and fine dust particles that are harder to avoid – these particles enter our lungs as we breathe them in.
In the UK fireworks are traditionally lit on four nights a year – Diwali, Guy Fawkes, New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year. These events are often among the most polluted nights of the year in the UK, though Guy Fawkes night is often the most extreme due to the addition of bonfires. The smoke from fireworks mixed with that from bonfires can lead to high air levels of air pollution across the UK.
Fireworks contain metals such as titanium, antimony and lead to create the sparkling and crackling effects, and other metals to propel rockets into the air. Gunpowder, a mixture of sulphur, potassium nitrate and charcoal, allows the fireworks to burn. Most importantly, to produce the beautiful arrays of colour that we are used to, various metals are added to the blend. Aluminium and magnesium for silver and white, barium for green, copper for blue and strontium for red. When these metals are burnt in municipal waste incinerators they are filtered out, but fireworks release the same metals into the air.
This year Guy Fawkes celebrations lead to high levels of particle pollution across London, even though many events were banned due to pandemic restrictions. Conditions were made worse by the calm and foggy weather conditions that continued throughout the night and lead to poor dispersion of air. Both bonfires and fireworks seem to have contributed to the high concentrations measured.
As the particles enter your lungs they lead to inflammation and can worsen symptoms of those with lung conditions. Other pollutant gases released from bonfires or fireworks are also harmful to people with heart conditions.
Protecting yourself
The fireworks industry is largely unregulated, and there are few rules in place to compel the industry to reduce their impact on air quality and the environment.
Until more rules are introduced, a few simple steps can lower the impact firework has on air quality and health.
Having a single large and controlled fireworks display (or bonfire) is a good way of reducing the impact on air quality. This display can be away from crowds and downwind from those watching, reducing exposure. However, the pandemic has made such an event impossible this year.
Having your windows closed can reduce the flow of air into your home, where pollution can linger for hours. However, it also traps any pollution already caught inside. Closing your windows before the fireworks start and opening them the next morning when the polluted air has hopefully moved on can help. Setting off any fireworks indoors, such as sparklers, is a bad idea as the air cannot disperse easily.
Finally, less firework means less pollution, and reducing the number of fireworks you use is an easy step to take. But it also means less fun for everyone involved.
The articles from the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College are supplied to Chertsey Life by Laura Ruane, Operations Officer at the Group and a Chertsey resident.