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December is a time of anticipation for Christmas, gatherings with loved ones, and preparations to welcome the New Year. However, along with the atmosphere of joy comes a tradition that is increasingly met with opposition – fireworks. From the very first days of the month, individual explosions can be heard, heralding the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations. Although they light up the sky and delight the eye for a moment, their consequences are felt for much longer. It is a custom that is often overlooked because it only lasts “one day.” But are the effects on the environment, animals, and people really so insignificant?
Polluted air – we all breathe it
Every fireworks show is not only a colorful spectacle in the sky, but also an invisible cloud of toxic substances that settles in the air we breathe. When fireworks are burned, they release carbon dioxide, sulfur, nitrates, and chlorine into the air. They also emit metal salts such as copper, strontium, magnesium, and aluminum, which are responsible for the colorful visual effects. These chemical compounds form a dense mixture of particulate matter (PM2.5) and heavy metals that penetrate deep into our lungs.
Research conducted in New York during the July 4 celebrations showed that the concentration of pollutants in the air increases several times, and the effects are felt not only at the site of the show, but throughout the city’s neighborhoods. The health consequences are serious, ranging from respiratory irritation to exacerbation of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
In India, during the Diwali festival, there was a 30–40% increase in the number of cases of wheezing, respiratory diseases, exacerbations of bronchial asthma, and bronchitis in patients of all ages and genders.
Children, due to their greater physical activity and immature immune systems, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution. During the day, they inhale more air than adults, and their bodies are not as capable of metabolising and neutralising harmful substances.
Fireworks also leave a significant carbon footprint associated with their production, transport, and subsequent waste disposal. As a result, this several dozen-minute spectacle translates into an additional burden on the environment and a real deterioration in the quality of life for many people. This is a cost that we often fail to notice, focusing only on the short-term visual effect.
Animals in panic – suffering that cannot be seen
The noise caused by fireworks is not a temporary inconvenience for animals, but a real nightmare. Animals with excellent hearing interpret the bang of firecrackers as a threat. Dogs react by trembling, hiding, attempting to escape, or experiencing changes in appetite. Cats exhibit similar behaviors – from alertness to panicked attempts to find shelter. In horses, fireworks can lead to violent physical reactions, which often result in injury or even death. In zoos, disturbances in communication among marine animals have been observed, and water birds try to leave their habitats.
Research in the Netherlands has shown that birds fly several hundred meters at night, losing their orientation and exposing themselves to collisions. Their physiological reactions – accelerated heartbeat, release of stress hormones – confirm that fireworks seriously reduce animal welfare. This suffering is often invisible to the human eye, but it is real and dramatic.
People suffer too – trauma, fear, and hypersensitivity
Although fireworks are supposed to be associated with joy and celebration, for many people they are a source of pain and suffering. The loud bang of firecrackers causes severe anxiety and stress, especially in seniors and refugees who carry memories of war and traumatic events. For them, the sound of explosions is not fun – it is a painful reminder of dramatic moments.
Children with mental or anxiety disorders react with distress, and people on the autism spectrum – with hypersensitivity to sounds, light, and smells – find the show overwhelming and painful. A brief moment of spectacle can have long-lasting psychological consequences for them, which do not end with the last flash.
We must also not forget about people suffering from heart or respiratory diseases. A sudden increase in air pollution, combined with acoustic stress, can pose a real threat to their health and even their lives. Fireworks are therefore not a neutral form of entertainment – they are a tradition that has a dark side, which is often ignored.
Time for a change
Is a couple of dozen minutes of entertainment worth the stress to animals, the deterioration of air quality, and the negative health effects on humans? Since we know the scale of the damage, it is worth asking ourselves: is our pleasure coming at the expense of others? The alternatives are there – laser shows, light illuminations, or drone displays – equally spectacular, but without toxic emissions and noise. Perhaps it is time to replace this way of celebrating with forms that are more responsible and safer for everyone.
Resources:
https://msedgar.github.io/Chemia_pirotechnika/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-024-00701-x
https://journals.lww.com/lungindia/fulltext/2014/31040/Potential_impact_of_fireworks_on_respiratory.11.aspx
https://publications.slu.se/?file=publ/show&id=144462
https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/22/6/1173/218852
https://reporterre.net/IMG/pdf/stickroth_2019_fireworks_birds_disturbance.pdf