Massive Burning of Fireworks: A pollutant show

Abstract

Around the world, fireworks display is widely used for religious, cultural, sport, national and family celebrations; although these are recreational and entertainment activities, they have caused concern about the emission of pollutants that harm not only air quality, but may produce toxic effects on the ecosystems and people attending such events. It has been studied that massive burning of fireworks generates an increase in the level of atmospheric particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10), this particulate matter may contain metals such as Na, K, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe , Co, Zn, as, Br, Sr, Sb, Pb, Cs, Ba, Ti, V and Cu; also, greenhouse gases are generated such as ozone (O₃), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). In water bodies and soil near to the burning and production sites of fireworks, a significant increase in perchlorate (ClO_4-) concentration has been found, which is an important component in the formulation of fireworks and it is associated with health problems such as thyroid problems. In Mexico, particularly in the State of Mexico, about 50% of the country’s fireworks market is produced. In the urban area of ​​the Valley of Mexico and during the first hours of the New Year, it has been registered up to 478 ± 150 μg/m³ of PM 10, which are mainly attributed to the massive burning of fireworks. The purpose of this work is to make a comprehensive review of the pollutants emitted during the displays of fireworks at various festivals around the world and warning about this type of pollution that has gone unnoticed for the scientific community of Mexico.