Not only do they scare the living daylights out of so many dogs and other creatures, they also pollute our air, water and bodies!
Are We Celebrating Life or Death?
Let’s find safer ways to celebrate
Are these substances life supporting?
Aluminum, Antimony sulfide, Arsenic compounds, Barium , Cadmium, carcinogens, Copper compounds, dioxin, gunpowder, heavy metals , Lead Dioxide, Polychlorinated, dioxins, Lithium compounds, Mercury, Nitric oxide, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Perchlorate , radioactivity, Rubidium, Strontium, Sulfur Dioxide and others…
Perhaps we should celebrate with life supportive ways instead?
Read more:
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/are-fireworks-bad-for-the-environment
http://www.clearlakemuskoka.com/fireworks.htm
http://www.backcountryattitude.com/toxic_fireworks.html
The State Fire Marshall, an office within Cal Fire, has the statutory mandate to manage seized fireworks which are hazardous waste in most cases.
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/technologydevelopment/opptd_fly_fireworks.cfm
“The toxicological research has shown that many of the metallic particles in the smoke from fireworks are bio-reactive and can affect human health,”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101116111715.htm
Note, some sites are including a campfire in their supposedly non-toxic alternatives suggestions, but woodsmoke is highly problematic as well.
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 
I can’t be near fireworks, especially those on the ground. I get a sulfur taste like I get from matches only multiplied by 100. This always makes me sick.
So many people and other critters are made ill from these things!
We humans are a creative lot (or can be), so I am sure we can find plenty of safe, life supportive ways to celebrate occasions without fireworks, fire, gunpowder, balloons, or other things made of toxic and/or petroleum based materials.
We could plant more shade trees and flowers, berry bushes or fruit trees, things that offer sustenance to ourselves and others!
We could make music, sing, dance and share food and stories…
We could blow bubbles from safe soaps…
We could toss sunflower, niger seeds and millet for the birds…
We could clean up natural areas of human made litter…
We could spend time with people who are otherwise alone…
Anything that makes others happy that doesn’t harm anyone or anything else is a good way to celebrate!
Not all of these suggestions are possible for people with severe MCS/ES, but some are, and they are all much safer for all of us…
Here’s another article with a similar message to mine
The case for banning fireworks
They’re a threat to the environment and dangerous as hell. There’s got to be a better way to celebrate
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/04/the_case_for_banning_fireworks/
I know about the wood smoke. I was just gardening and had to quit and run in a and shut all my windows because someone lit one. Another thing I read about fireworks is how when neighbors randomly set them off it can effect combat veterans because they sound so much like gun fire. I will be watching my non-toxic fireflies light up my backyard for the 4th.
Fireflies! How delightful!
I takes my CNS hours to recover from fireworks that are done nearby. I don’t know how people survive in war zones if their health is in anyway compromised. I also have serious adverse effects from the bass boom sound systems, they alter my heart rate.
I can’t wait for the day when it’s no longer acceptable to pollute the air, water, and soil we all depend on for life!
I read another article how July 5th is usually the busiest day of the year at local animal shelters. Pets get so freaked out by the loud noises from fireworks — they run away.
Yes, they terrify pets and wildlife, sometimes permanently.
Here’s new research about how air quality suffers:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231015301369
Highlights
• We report early-July hourly particulate (PM2.5) levels at 315 US monitoring sites.
• PM2.5 concentrations are elevated on July 4 evening and July 5 morning.
• Increases are largest at 9–10 pm on July 4 and diminish by noon on July 5.
• On national average, holiday 24-hr PM2.5 levels are elevated by 5 μg/m3 (42%).
• A site adjacent to fireworks shows 48 μg/m3 (370%) increases in 24-hr PM2.5.
The Federal Hazardous Substances Act classifies fireworks as hazardous, because the explosives can have dangerous side effects, including fires, injury, and death. Air pollution is another potentially harmful effect of fireworks (Wang et al., 2007), which release gaseous sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide; hazardous trace elements such as aluminum, manganese, and cadmium; and particulate matter (PM), evidenced by visible clouds of smoke during displays.
Exposure to PM is associated with a broad range of adverse human health effects, mainly affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular systems (WHO, 2003). …
(new research shows how our brains are also affected by this type of pollution)
I watched part of the national fireworks display on TV and was amazed the size and density of the cloud produced — it was so dense it was what drew my attention rather than the fireworks. I changed the channel. I couldn’t watch knowing little kids were breathing all of that in.
I saw some photos on facebook of the smoke (with explosions of a bit of colour in between) from the New York event and had to stop myself from commenting
“those are toxic clouds: do NOT inhale!”
New post with a lot of info on why we need to ditch the fireworks:
http://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/its-time-annual-whine-about-fireworks-fresh-new-reasons.html
Fireworks mean that New Year’s Eve can be a dangerous time for birds. Should we try alternatives to blowing stuff up?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2017/12/30/how-do-fireworks-harm-wild-birds/#7b2ae3d0118c
Good article…
Fireworks banned on the Galapagos to protect wildlife
The authorities in the Galapagos islands have banned the sale and use of fireworks in the archipelago to protect its unique fauna.
Fireworks that produce light but no sound have been excluded from the ban.
Conservationists say that animals suffered from elevated heart rates, trembling and anxiety after pyrotechnic events.
…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46706515
Health Department issues advisory due to fireworks smoke
“In recent years, LLCHD has found high levels of particulate air pollution from the night of July 3 through the morning of July 5, resulting in the Air Quality Index (AQI) level of “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.”
http://www.wahoo-ashland-waverly.com/waverly/news/health-department-issues-advisory-due-to-fireworks-smoke/article_20a42fc8-5da7-11e7-b543-4b710af17336.html
“At a time when issues of climate change and global warming have captured international attention, we need to do maximum to educate students about the severity of toxicity of fireworks so as to discourage their usage.”
http://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/indore-ill-effects-of-fireworks-to-be-taught-at-davv/1156093
All that effort should go into creating something non-toxic that doesn’t pollute, doesn’t terrorize wildlife and pets, or refugees and war veterans.
It’s ridiculous to keep doing this knowing what we know about them.
“Today’s shells typically include some sort of fuel, often gunpowder. They also contain a chemical called an oxidizer. This helps the fuel burn more quickly. The shells also contain chemicals whose recipes include metals. Those metal-based compounds play a big part in determining the color of fireworks, explains Phil Grucci. He’s the owner of Fireworks by Grucci in Bellwood, N.Y. His family business has been operating for almost 170 years.
As a shell’s fuel explodes, it releases a sudden burst of heat. That energy, in turn, excites electrons orbiting metal atoms packed along with the fuel, Grucci explains. Excited electrons jump to a higher orbital. Soon, they’ll drop back to their original orbits again. At this point, the metal atoms emit a characteristic color of light.
Different chemicals produce different hues. For example, chemicals that contain barium give off a greenish light. Copper yields a blue light. This can be easily seen in an experiment that’s often a staple of high-school chemistry classes, says Grucci. A small wire is dipped into a powder and then thrust into a small flame. The color of the flame changes with the elements contained in the powder.”
…
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/how-fireworks-shower-skies-science
…
Thankfully, some cities, in Canada and beyond, have come to the realization that the mere entertainment value of fireworks is not really worth the harm they cause.
…
Pardon my perhaps perceived lack of patriotism, but fireworks hurt people, animals and the environment in ways that render them no longer justifiable.
All Canadian cities and municipalities should consider available alternatives so everyone can join in on the celebration, while minimizing harm to the animals and environment around us.
That sounds pretty Canadian to me.”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-ka-boom-fireworks-are-awful