How to celebrate by trashing the environment

Posted on Jul 01, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Susie Collins

Fireworks shows spray out a toxic concoction that rains down quietly into lakes, rivers and bays throughout the country.

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It’s not just the air that gets trashed from fireworks displays. Mother Nature Network reports Fourth of July fireworks unleash a shower of toxins into the soil and water, and scientists are only beginning to figure out what that means for human health.

…it’s still not entirely clear how fireworks affect ecological health. While they haven’t been directly linked to any widespread outbreaks of disease, it’s not always easy to pin down why someone developed hypothyroidism, anemia or cancer.

What we do know is that, although they’re fleeting and infrequent, fireworks shows spray out a toxic concoction that rains down quietly into lakes, rivers and bays throughout the country. Many of the chemicals in fireworks are also persistent in the environment, meaning they just stubbornly sit there instead of breaking down. That’s how mercury from coal emissions winds up in fish, and it’s how DDT thinned bald eagles’ eggshells in the ’70s. There’s scant evidence that fireworks are having similar effects, but the possibility has been enough to raise concern in many communities.

Link to full report.

Photo credit.

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4 Responses to “How to celebrate by trashing the environment”

  1. mokihana

    02. Jul, 2009

    And don’t we know the affects of fireworks on our dear selves and the whole of Earth. What incites excitement rules over all the other senses. Thanks for the report, I’ll be linking to this post and prepare Scout and the tent for a peaceful celebration someWHERE. Crazy-making, wheww …

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  2. Susie Collins

    02. Jul, 2009

    Mokihana, I hope you find a nice safe place. Luckily the 4th is not a big holiday here in our neighborhood, not like New Years. Take care of yourself!

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  3. Leslie

    03. Jul, 2009

    i don’t like fireworks – somehow beautiful from really far away, but not worth the waste of resources in my opinion. Fireflies do just as amazing of a job in the evening. :)

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  4. Susie Collins

    03. Jul, 2009

    Leslie, I’ve always thought it’s such a waste of money! Those aerial shows can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Have you ever seen the launch site for those big aerial shows? It’s disgusting! I always feel really bad for all the animals in the area, too. It terrifies birds.

    We don’t have fireflies here in Hawaii, so they are something like a mythical animal to me!

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