Fireworks: Breathtaking ... and Deadly

In the final December of the 20th century, environmentalists in Sweden, Germany and Australia issued a Global Call for Action, asking the world community to take a stand against 21st century air pollution by halting the globe-circling fireworks displays planned to celebrate the dawn of the year 2000.

"Wouldn't it be nice to be able to greet the new millennium in a dignified, responsible and environmentally friendly way?" the Sweden-based Heavy Metal Bulletin asked. "Is this type of celebration really a good habit to carry into the New Millennium?"

Air-bursting shells -- with picturesque names like chrysanthemum, peony, willow, saturn, strobe, and salute -- are lovely to watch but, when it comes to skyrockets, every silver lining has a cloud. As the Bulletin points out, heavy metal fallout from exploding fireworks poses a threat to "nature, animals and human beings."

In addition to the charges of blackpowder (containing carcinogenic sulfur-coal compounds) that send skyrockets airborne and blast them into patterns of glowing sparks, fireworks contain a number of toxic metals that produce a range of dazzling colors. Strontium produces blazing reds, copper compounds burn blue, magnesium, titanium and aluminum create brilliant white sparks. Sodium chloride produces orange-yellow fire, boric acid burns green, potassium and rubidium compounds produce purples and burning lithium glows red. Glittering greens are produced by radioactive barium.

During the Stockholm Water Festival in 1996, air pollutant levels were measured before and after the fireworks display. Levels of airborne arsenic were found to be twice normal, while levels of mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc and chromium were as high as 500 times above normal.

The October 1999 issue of the Swedish technical magazine New Teknik estimated that millennium fireworks shows would dump three tons of lead, 60 tons of chromium and several kilograms of cadmium over Sweden within a matter of hours. Add to this the fact that noise from exploding fireworks can top 130 decibels (acoustic health specialists have shown that exposure to 105 dB for one hour can damage hearing), and it's no surprise that the Bulletin reports that a surprisingly large percentage of Swedish citizens now favor a total ban.

Assuming the same amount of per-capita fireworks was used in all European Union countries to welcome the year 2000, the Bulletin estimates that the millennial celebrations shot 124 tons of lead into the air of the European Union countries. The spectacular show above Australia's Sydney Harbor filled the air with an estimated six tons of lead. In the US, fireworks shows may have generated 90 tons of sky-borne lead pollution -- a flagrant (and pungent) violation of the Clean Air Act.

"The increased exposure constitutes a direct risk for people with asthma, metal allergies and chemical sensitivities," The Bulletin notes. "Infants and children are particularly vulnerable and may suffer permanent damage. Many pet owners and farmers are concerned, and wildlife remains completely unprotected." Fireworks displays, critics argue, may even violate Agenda 21 of the UN Earth Summit agreement.

"How can we expect people in the so-called third world to be environmentally friendly if we cannot abstain from completely useless pollution?" the Bulletin asks.

Skylighter, Inc., the "supermarket of pyrotechnics," stocks more than 108 different chemical additives used in the production of fireworks.

Skylighter's inventory includes acetone, ammonium perchlorate, benzoic acid, boric acid, calcium carbonate, xylene, chlorine, alcohol, sodium fluoaluminate, dextrin, sodium benzoate, guanidine nitrate, hexachloroethane, stearic acid, iodine, lactose, lead tetraoxide, sodium bicarbonate, lead monoxide, methylene chloride, shellac, oxalic acid, chlorinated rubber, polyethylene, tungsten, zinc chromate, sodium salicylate, polyvinyl chloride and sorbitol - along with such prosaic items as pine rosin, tropical tree resin and rice hulls (coated with burst-powder to break shells).