Should city's fireworks event become a thing of the past?

If fireworks cause toxic gases, harmful particles and microplastics, it doesn't seem a good idea to launch them over Plymouth's marine environment

-  ROWENA MILLAR & JEMIMA LAING

STOP THEM:

THE firework championships are a highlight of the Plymouth events calendar, with huge numbers of people flocking to see the displays. We've been along in the past, and someone invited me this year. While it seems a shame to put a downer on an exciting event that brightens our skies and shivers our timbers, I thought I'd check whether fireworks cause pollution. Sadly, it wasn't good news.

It turns out that fireworks really aren't good for us, and they also aren't good for our planet. A good many sources explained that firework pollution comes partly in the form of fine toxic particles that we breathe into our lungs. I suppose that's our own choice if we want to enjoy watching the displays. However, they also spread far and wide through the air.

The poisons that explode into the evening sky also include the gases nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide, which contribute to acid rain (still affecting the planet) and theslre is an 'aerosol cloud' containing a number of metallic elements such as strontium, magnesium, potassium, barium and lead. These particles can travel over 60 miles in mild weather, apparently, polluting water too.

Although firework displays are over in a flash, these chemicals hang around, and increase with each new display. They are joined by microplastics - I was surprised to read that there were six times as many microplastics in the Thames after the New Year fireworks display in London 2020.