UPDATE: Yes, sadly, I had to look. There’s the fireworks and global warming question being bandied about related to the 2012 Olympics. See below the read more line. – Anthony
From the Journal of Obvious Science department: Smoke from fireworks is harmful to health. In related news, excessive smoke inhalation can cause death, and fireworks can explode in your hand, (warning, graphic) causing loss of fingers . All the more reason to have “strict controls on fireworks imports so that those with the potentially most dangerous chemical composition can be avoided”. Up next month in the Journal of Obvious Science; pot smoke at concerts causes mass mellow.
The metallic particles in the smoke emitted by fireworks pose a health risk, particularly to people who suffer from asthma. This is the conclusion of a study led by researchers from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), published this week in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
“The toxicological research has shown that many of the metallic particles in the smoke from fireworks are bio-reactive and can affect human health”, Teresa Moreno, a researcher from the IDAEA (CSIC) and lead author of a study that has been published this week in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, tells SINC.
The different colours and effects produced in these displays are achieved by adding metals to the gunpowder. When a pyrotechnic display takes place it releases a lot of smoke, liberating minute metallic particles (of a few microns in size, or even less), which are small enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs.
“This poses a risk to health, and the effects are probably more acute in people with a background of asthma or cardiovascular problems”, Moreno explains. “The effects in healthy people are still unknown, but common sense tells us it cannot be good to inhale the high levels of metallic particles in this smoke, even if this only happens a few times a year”.
The study focused on the San Juan fiestas (the night of 23 June through to 24 June, 2008) in the Spanish city of Girona. The researchers analysed the levels of more than 30 chemical elements and compounds in May and June in order to confirm that the levels of lead, copper, strontium, potassium and magnesium skyrocketed after the fireworks were launched.
The team found the results were similar in other towns too. During the Mascletà (18 March), for example, in the Las Fallas fiestas in Valencia, levels of these elements rose once again, as well as others such as aluminium, titanium, barium and antimony, and also concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2).
Other studies have confirmed that the smoke from fireworks increases the presence of metallic particles in the skies over L’Alcora and Borriana (Castellón), Barcelona and even London (United Kingdom) during the Guy Fawkes’ Night celebrations.
“People who live in cities already inhale significant amounts of contaminant particles stemming from traffic emissions, chimneys and cigarettes, and the dense smoke caused by fireworks only worsens this situation”, points out Moreno.
Possible solutions
The researcher compares the problem with that of tobacco. “The less you expose yourself to the smoke, the fewer negative effects it will have on your health, and so the best solution is to avoid inhaling it”.
According to the scientists, in the absence of a ban on fireworks, spectators should stay well back in a place not affected by the smoke and pay attention to the wind direction. They also recommend that fireworks displays should be sited in a place that ensures the plume of smoke will blow away from densely populated areas.
An added problem is the chemical mixtures in the different kinds of fireworks, since some contain extremely toxic metals such as lead. “There should be strict controls on fireworks imports so that those with the potentially most dangerous chemical composition can be avoided”, concludes Moreno.
References: Teresa Moreno, Xavier Querol, Andrés Alastuey, Fulvio Amato, Jorge Pey, Marco Pandolfi, Nino Kuenzli, Laura Bouso, Marcela Rivera y Wes Gibbons. “Effect of fireworks events on urban background trace metal aerosol concentrations: Is the cocktail worth the show?” Journal of Hazardous Materials 183 (1-3): 945-949, 15 de noviembre de 2010. Doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.07.082.
UPDATE: Yes, it gets worse. From this Ask.com question:
It stems from this story:
Olypmic sized stupidity, I’d say.
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WARNING: Activities like living, breathing, eating, doing anything at all physical, not doing anything at all and simply being alive could endanger your health.
Warning: Worrying about any of the above health risks could in itself be a health risk.
Isn’t the obvious answer — since cigarette smoking and second hand smoke from cigarettes kills so many people —- Why not just smoke pot. Get right with the liberals.
what’s next??you can bite your tounge when you eat pickles???SHUT-UP
Here we go again, the Nanny State telling you the obvious.
Having said that, it is also perfectly obvious that certain people have no idea of risk.
Children, nowadays are so molly-coddled from birth that their immune system is stymied, their instinctive reactions are curbed (apart from screaming in a shopping mall, because Mom refuses to buy what the sprog wants), they are protected from whatever danger man can throw at them (look at the ridiculous get-up that child- cyclists are stuffed into), and then Ma or Pa is very angry when something untoward happens to their offspring after spending all those dollars.
Children need to experience the good, the bad and the ugly, including the downright risky, such as fireworks. Sing with me, ‘Where has all the parenting gone, long time passing?’
Mostly, the reason is down to over-protection of said child. The latter has had no opportunity in real life to experience any accident or misfortune, so how in the hell is he or she equipped to look after her/himself?
Can we rise up & kill the bar stewards yet?
DaveE.
Zzzz….
Ok, tell me when a problem is actually discovered. All the issues mentioned are easily handled with a bit of common sense and maybe a safety standard or two (to prevent premature detonation and such.)
Sounds like more “tipping point” BS, to me. So predictable, anymore. And so irritating!
i’m from the uneducated end of the populace, reading this is a waste of my useless life.
“The metallic particles in the smoke emitted by fireworks pose a health risk, particularly to people who suffer from asthma. ”
Doesn’t all smoke (with or without metallic particles) pose a health risk, particularly to people who suffer from asthma?
Why on earth is there a Journal of Hazardous Materials? Everything on earth can be hazardous if used in the wrong way.
I’m guessing they wouldn’t much care for the demolition derby we have before the fireworks each Independence Day, either.
The mollycoddling does sort of remind me of an SF book I read years ago, (may have been Robert Heinlein), where all risks were removed, the technological elite were despised & hidden. Cars were limited to 30mph & air blown through the passenger cell to give an impression of speed. Overpopulation was the name of the game. Sorry, not a good précis.
DaveE.
More people trying to ruin our lives, when i was a kid in the 70s/80s we did crazy stuff like this
1. Our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint which we promptly chewed and licked off.
2. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans.
3. When we rode our bikes we wore no helmets, just flip flops and fluorescent spokey dokey’s on our wheels.
4. We would ride in cars with no seatbelts or airbags and sitting in the front was a treat.
5. We drank water from puddles and garden hoses, not from a bottle – and it tasted the same.
6. We ate chips, sweets, drank fizzy juice with sugar in it but we were never fat because we were outside playing.
7. We shared one drink with 4 friends, drinking from the same bottle, and no-one actually died from this.
8. We spent hours building go carts out of scraps and then went top speed down the hill, only to find we forgot the brakes.
Are we now living in nanny states?
G**damn Nanny State. They are now in the death throws of having their last gasp of breath. We shall put them in their place with the next congress.
They are even trying to ban one of my favorite drinks. Four Locos. I guess for me it will be back to Yegar bombs if they succeed.
“Sitting on a still burning camp fire may incur severe burning”.
This is the first result of a still running scientific study conducted by several Universities under NASA funding.
The international scientific team have already verified this revolutionary theory in several different places in the world, including Acapulco, Salvador de Bahia, Hawaï, Florida Keys. More funding is necessary to enhance the coverage.
If confirmed, this can result in reinforcing the rules about out-door fires.
Useful data, perhaps, but once again let’s keep the policy separate from the science.
Did they happen to look at Anaheim, oh, any half-dozen nights Disney shoots off their fireworks?
Well, I don’t see what the fuss is all about. First off, I am a lifelong asthmatic; specially in my first two decades; not so much any more.
Then I grew up with the tradition of Guy Fawkes Day; Nov 5th. We had firecrackers; tiny Chinese made ones maybe 20 mm long and 2 mm diam, packaged in strings of about 100. And we had some bigger ones maybe 4 cm long and 4 mm diam packaged in strings of about40.
And we had bottle rockets; with heads maybe12 cm long and 3cm diam, and then pinwheels and every other sort of smoking, burning exploding kind of thing. And I never blew my hands off or put anybody’s eye out; even though we also had those namby pamby “sparkler” things on a sharp wire; heck we never even set fire to anything; I must have set off tens of thosuands of fire crackers; we also had some real honker crackers that were maybe a cm diam or 12 mm, and maybe 8 cm long. No we didn’t throw those or hand hold them; but we lit them all the same.
And we all danced around the bonfire and tossed the effigy of Guy Fawkes on to the raging fire.
I even ran through the middle of one of those bonfires one day at school; a kid asked me to, after I dared him to run across the burned out embers around the periphery (bare foot; I was always bare foot at school.). Well unfortunately they built this haystack over the goal post hole on the footy field, and I put my foot in the hole and fell over right in the middle of the flaming inferno. It was like Siegfried’s Funeral Pyre.
Well I had other plans besides Valhalla, so I got up and ran out the other side. The teacher wouldn’t let me stay in school that afternon because I smelled like a Luau cookout, and my hair was all burned off, and there were these funny bublels all over my arms.
They did let me come back to school about six months later; because all the skin finally grew back on both my arms; which was a nice change from having yellow flesh under gauze bandages and tons of Tannic acid jelly, and bicarbonate of soda. Well I do have a spot about 7 or 8 mm square on one forearm; but otherwise I came through the experiment relatively unscathed.
I don’t think I even got whacked for that one; and I certainly didn’t get arrested as a trouble maker or something; but they did move the bonfire away from the goal post hole the next year.
So I’ve never gotten an asthma attack from either watching, or setting off any sort of fireworks; although I haven’t set off an Atlas missile or anything like that; and I didn’t get any asthma from my do yourself barbecue. I think I was ten when I tried that recipe.
So as I say; what is all the fuss over fireworks. Would you rather have your kids grow up thinking that fire is safe to play with ?
Lemme tell you it ain’t safe to play with; and you should make sure your kids learn that early; and putting the kibosh on fireworks is not the way to do that. I can specially recommend that you should not run into the middle of a burning haystack; and if you do; make sure it isn’t built around the goal post hole.
This isn’t news down here in San Diego where several annual fireworks displays have been cancelled due to lawsuit from environmental groups claiming the fireworks pollute the water.
Of course they don’t have any data to prove fireworks cause water pollution. Instead, the groups that put on the displays must prove they don’t pollute in order to get a permit. Between fighting the lawsuits and doing the required environmental studies most groups simply can’t afford it and give up.
Max says:
November 16, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Loved that one particularly as we used to ride down the hill next to our house as fast as we could, then turn into the driveway, scrubbing off speed by sliding whilst turning.
Brakes were for sissies!
We used to hold bangers & count seconds before throwing them so they would be sure to be an airburst too. Silly I know & even had one go off in my hand but it was a cannon, (the cannon had a very thick shell & was only filled for half its length), so that was OK. did make me think a little & throw after 4 seconds instead of 5. 😉
DaveE.
Myron Mesecke wrote:
“You can have my Sparkler when you pry it from my cold, dead hand.”
I’m with Myron, there’s a line in the sand and it shouldn’t be crossed!
Add to the growing list of bad inventions:
Fireworks (flash powder – China)
TNT (DuPont)
Gunpowder (Roger Bacon)
Life is fatal. Live with it!
I think the Island of Madeira takes the prize.
(Can you count how many times she says wow?)
“Studies” show that the exhalations from large, highly trained athletes contain more CO2 per outbreath than those of normal spectators.
Ban the Olympics!
Anyone looking at my previous post might say, “that’s why we shouldn’t allow kids to have fireworks!”
Believe it or not, even as 7 & 8 year olds, we had it worked out! Penny bangers had unreliable fuse lengths, just good enough to light, wait for the fizz & drop down the drain. Plus, there wasn’t enough margin in the case so if it went off prematurely you’d be hurt. The cannon was much higher quality in all respects & cost tuppence. Bigger bang by better design. We actually knew why! We knew it would be safer too because in the case of premature explosion, you wouldn’t be in the line of the explosive gasses. We ‘knew’ it but until one actually did it, (sensibly), no-one would try it. Even after, that was a no no.
DaveE.