Megan Herzog
It seems only fitting as we approach the Fourth of July holiday to turn our attention to the environmental impacts and regulation of fireworks. As it turns out, our age-old patriotic tradition of exploding packages of toxic chemicals in the air is not without its environmental drawbacks. Although much is still unknown about the environmental consequences of fireworks displays, it is clear that fireworks can adversely impact water quality, air quality, biological resources, and possibly even human health through debris, noise, and toxic contaminant pollution. Fortunately, there are many ways regulators and citizens can mitigate the adverse impacts of fireworks.
In order to understand the environmental impacts of aerial fireworks displays you first have to appreciate the basic mechanics. The heart of a colorful firework is the “color shell,” which contains a bunch of chemical pellets arranged to emit a particular color and design. Commonly used chemicals include: potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, potassium nitrate, sodiumbenzoate, sodium oxalate, ammonium perchlorate, strontium nitrate, strontium carbonate, sulfur, charcoal, copper oxide, polyvinyl chloride, iron, titanium, shellac, dextrine, phenolic resin, and aluminum.
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