With more than 2,000 years of history, fireworks and firecrackers are commonly used in China to celebrate festivals, weddings, and other ceremonies. Hardly any festive occasion goes by without flaming fireworks or exploding firecrackers. Since the millennium, fireworks have also gained skyrocketing popularity in Western countries for celebrating festivals such as Halloween, Independence Day, and New Year’s Day.
Among all traditional Chinese festivals, the most massive and intensive use of fireworks and firecrackers occurs in celebration of Lunar New Year’s Eve. Chinese Lunar New Year is one of the world’s most prominent and celebrated festivals. The evening preceding the Lunar New Year’s Day is an important occasion for Chinese families to gather for an annual reunion. The central Chinese New Year’s Eve event is an annual reunion dinner comparable to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in Western countries. Before the dinner, fireworks and firecrackers are lit to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck and happiness. They also signify a joyful time of the year.
The time with the most intensive and massive fireworks may be exactly at or shortly after the arrival of the New Year. The flaming of fireworks and burning firecrackers are meant to say goodbye to the old and welcome the New Year. In such a situation, everyone in every family gets their best fireworks, and firecrackers flamed or explode.
Therefore, the amount of fireworks and firecrackers consumed nationally on the last day of a lunar calendar year is huge. It has been well-known that fireworks can lead to substantial air pollution problems. Several reports have documented the impact of fireworks on air quality in festivals such as Independence Day (the Fourth of July) in the United States, Diwali in India, Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night in the United Kingdom. This post will demonstrate the impact of nationwide fireworks usage on air quality in China using the Real-Time Map of Air Pollution.
In 2018, the Chinese Lunar New Year started on February 16, and the most important event of the celebration was the family reunion dinner on February 15 – Lunar New Year’s Eve. According to the Real-Time Map of Air Quality, air pollution is moderate across the country as usual in the daytime but becomes heavy in some areas at night in central and southern China (Figure 1). At UTC Time 19:00 pm (Beijing Time 3:00 am), shockingly severe air pollution patterns were observed nationwide due to intense fireworks displays and firecracker explosions. As shown on the Real-Time Map of Air Pollution with the black patterns (Figure 2), the Air Quality Index became so high that it was immeasurable in many areas or places. Basically, many of the most polluted sites coincided with the country’s most populous areas.
Notably, this happened under the condition that China has banned fireworks in more than 400 cities since 2016 to curb air pollution and reduce injury accidents during the New Year’s holidays. Therefore, the air pollution was mainly complicated by fireworks smoke in suburban and rural areas. Otherwise, the levels of air pollution may be much more serious and frightening.
Such high density of fireworks smoke may leave dangerous toxins and harmful chemicals in the air for hours or longer. Although some argue that the levels of fireworks smoke need to be sustained for much longer before widespread health problems emerge, severe air pollution may have a negative impact on the health of children, older adults, and those with heart disease, asthma, and other lung diseases. Studies have indicated that firework smoke or haze is an undeniable source of various air pollutants (SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, and chemical components) and is rich in tiny metal particles, including lead, mercury salts, copper, aluminum, and barium, which give fireworks different colors. Extended exposure to these pollutants can lead to coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, asthma attacks, and even heart attacks.
Moreover, fireworks residues falling to the ground often contain propellant chemicals and colorants, which eventually find their way into the soil and water systems. Some toxins may never fully decompose or disintegrate but hang around in the environment. When it rains, they are washed into lakes, rivers, and other water sources, contaminating water with perchlorate. Consuming the water may result in thyroid problems.
The fireworks smoke persists only for a few hours. However, the impact of fireworks toxins and chemicals on soil and water may last for a long period of time. Generally, public attention has always been paid to the air consequences of fireworks displays and varied accidents (e.g., fire, injuries) caused by firecracker explosions. However, the negative impacts on soil and water seem to be under-realized in China.
The use of fireworks is a traditional part of the celebration. Although the Chinese government has enacted laws completely banning the sale or use of firecrackers in urban areas, it seems impossible to restrict the usage of fireworks in suburban and rural areas, just as impossible to ban guns in the United States. How to mitigate the negative impacts of fireworks in the era of nationwide air pollution remains a challenge for Chinese authorities.
For air quality on other days during the 2018 Chinese New Year holidays, please read another post:
Air Pollution in China During Lunar New Year Holidays
