Fireworks and health

Deepawali is here, and with it are all kinds of fireworks. These fireworks produce large quantities of pollutants, including several metallic components and poisonous gases, which have detrimental effects on the air quality. Exposed individuals may be at risk following inhalation of such pollutants. Firecrackers release toxic air pollutants like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide, trioxygen, and black carbon and particulates that affect the eyes, throat, lungs, heart, and skin. These pollutants severely affect those with a history of asthma, allergic bronchitis, and other respiratory issues. The toxic gases released can also cause severe reactive airway dysfunction (RADS) in absolutely healthy people. According to experts, being exposed to smoke from firecrackers is equivalent to smoking hundreds of cigarettes within a matter of minutes, and the chemicals that the smoke contains lead to not just immediate breathing difficulties and skin irritation but, in the long term, could even cause cancer. Medical experts have said that while infants, children, pregnant women, old and ill people, and those with co-morbidities suffer the worst due to fireworks pollution, even healthy people can suffer from irritation in the respiratory tract, skin infections, difficulty breathing, and severe instances of asthma, which can even lead to death. Reports quoting scientists with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) say pollution caused by fireworks adversely affects people of all age groups, irrespective of whether they are healthy or have some ailment or the other. Firecrackers have nitrates and chlorates as the most commonly used oxidizers, while aluminium compounds, barium nitrates, and copper are used as colouring agents. They also contain metals, which are also used to regulate the speed of reaction in various fireworks. While these have various kinds of impacts on the human body, antimony sulphide, the chemical compound that results in the glitter effect, is a known carcinogen that initially triggers a feeling of nausea and, in the long term, can cause cancer. Similarly, aluminium, which burns as white light, leads to contact dermatitis and bioaccumulation. Barium nitrate and lithium compounds have the most toxic impact, as they immediately cause respiratory problems.