Smoke From Fireworks is Very Dirty

It’s that time of year again – where everyone marks another Independence Day, and gets back to the business of their normal summer season, complete with August doldrums.

Dogs everywhere are happy. That’s because due to their sharp sense of hearing, for many of them, the sounds of the fireworks are agonizing.

But as we reflect on the festivities of the fourth, there’s something that more of us should be aware about.

It’s the long-term health effect of fireworks smoke.

Explosives Safety a Focus

Everybody knows the hazards of trying to light high-powered explosives by hand – that’s an immediate danger to whoever’s holding the flame.

But the longer term health effects of fireworks smoke are much different – they’re broader, and subtler, and much less visible. In fact, to most of us, they’re startling. The residual smoke from fireworks can impact people in ways that most of us just don’t think about.

The Science on Fireworks

On the other hand, you can smell a lot of the stuff in the air when fireworks are set off.

For example, there are smelly items like sulfur dioxide, which makes sense, because there’s often a sort of sulfur smell in the air after the fireworks are over. Sulfur dioxide can be a respiratory irritant, and bad for asthma. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

When you think about it, the laundry list of toxins in fireworks smoke is much longer – items like cadmium and lead, and other potentially harmful elements that are either carcinogens or lung irritants, or both – and then small particles that can get embedded in your lungs and cause problems.

There is the general designation of PM 2.5 and PM 10 (that stand for the average diameter of these particles,) that are present in fireworks smoke. To be fair, they’re also present in industrial pollution and vehicle exhaust, and even basic wood combustion, so when you set a campfire or a bonfire, PM 2.5 is in the air, and when there’s a massive wildfire, that throws off a lot more of this stuff. But fireworks smoke has a concentrated amount of this and other pollutants. 

Here’s how a writer at Environmental Health News describes it:

“Even short-term exposures to PM 2.5 can result in lung irritation, shortness of breath, and even the aggravation of medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease … The tiny airborne particles can also become even more toxic when mixing with pollution in our home.”

Additional Chemical Elements

I wanted to include this list verbatim from Phoenix Aurelius Research Academy, because it’s a concise and visual representation of the various pieces of this puzzle. Observe:

“Strontium (Sr) – Red – Respiratory irritant, bone accumulation

Barium (Ba) – Green -Toxic to the heart, kidneys, and nervous system

Copper (Cu) – Blue – Can cause lung irritation, liver and kidney damage

Sodium (Na) – Yellow – Irritating at high concentrations

Aluminum (Al) – White/silver – Potential neurotoxin, linked to Alzheimer’s (controversial)

Antimony (Sb) – Glitter effects – Suspected carcinogen, respiratory irritant

Lead (Pb) – Deep colors – Neurotoxin, especially dangerous to children

Chromium (Cr) Assorted effects Hexavalent form is a known carcinogen

Titanium (Ti) – Sparks – Can cause lung inflammation in fine particulate form

Magnesium (Mg) – Bright flashes – Less toxic, but can be irritating in fine particulate form”

The institute also provides this list of gas elements:

“Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) Sulfur-based oxidizers Respiratory irritation, worsens asthma

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) Combustion of black powder Ozone precursor, lung damage

Carbon monoxide (CO) Incomplete combustion Reduces oxygen delivery to tissues

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) Combustion product Greenhouse gas, global warming contributor

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) Chlorinated compounds in fireworks Irritates eyes, throat, and respiratory tract”

That’s not to mention other kinds of nasties that make their way into the air when the fuse burns down and the pyrotechnics go off.

Smoke Particles in Your Home?

Obviously, you get a pretty large dose of these particles when you walk through the residual smoke on the sidewalk or in the park, from firecrackers, or any other kind of explosive.

What many people don’t think about is these items can also get into your indoor air as well.

That’s why the above EHN article by Krystal Vasquez suggests that if you’re enjoying Fourth of July fireworks, you should shut your windows. In fact, Vasquez goes even further, citing concerns by scientists about “thirdhand” exposure.

Basically, experts suggest, as these little particles enter your home in the air, they may even pick up bits of other polluting stuff inside the home, like phthalates from flooring or consumer products. Vasquez quotes Delphine Farmer, a Colorado State University professor discussing this potential:

“If it’s a really hot evening, but you had the air conditioning on in your house…then when that particle comes in, it might pick up some phthalates—those little plasticizer molecules in your vinyl and your linoleum flooring … you have some small probability of breathing that particle in.”

So, TLDR, this material is even more toxic when it’s sealed into the area in which you live.

Scientists even directly suggest running your air purifier 24/7 after the Fourth of July if you have any of this ambient smoke getting into your indoor air. In fact, experts suggest it might be good to start running the appliance more in the weeks leading up to the holiday. 

Improving Your Home’s Air

The solution, as noted above, is to run modern air purifier machines. These trap most of these pollutants, if not all of them, with high-technology HEPA filters and pre-filters and additional features.

All of this will put you on the right road to success with cleaner and healthier indoor air. You can be confident about what you’re breathing. That’s true every day you spend in your home. Be protected while you sleep, while you eat, etc. etc.

Use an air monitor to see what’s in the indoor air. Then you can mitigate it with high-tech appliances. Let US Air Purifiers LLC help with any questions or concerns. Protect your health!