Yes, it's true fireworks are bad for the environment, not to mention the health concerns. But the issue getting press is worse for the Cause than the fireworks themselves. Anti-environmentalists are always looking for "unreasonable sacrifices" they claim we tree huggers like to call for. Fireworks are such a beloved part of American fabric that if we start to expose their harmful side-effects and criticize them, people will get defensive and exasperated with green messages in general. Fireworks happen (on a large scale) once a year, and I think it's safe to say we should be combating more significant polluters than trying to win an uphill battle like this one. Now seriously, stop being a tiresome wet blanket and have some fun.

I'm no expert, so I could be convinced otherwise, but it seems to me that one day of fireworks would cause a small fraction of the problems we cause with our preventable pollution we produce every day.

Given it is a once a year celebration I think the green movement is best served by not attacking it. I think the negative backlash would cause more harm than the once a year event.

Did the study also include a 15 days later, 30 days later, etc portion? I'd be interested in seeing how quickly the contaminats dissipated.

I'm all for making fireworks "more green", but agree with the first two commentors in stating that there are better things that could be pointed out than a once or twice a year type thing.

Big fireworks displays put on by organizations / cities / disney = Awesome!

Crappy displays put on in the neighbor's backyard by a guy named "Buck" = LAME!

If we cut out the latter in favor of the former, maybe the impact won't manner so much.

With the wonders of modern science why cant the fireworks manufacturers find chemicals that arent so toxic? Sure they would probably cost more, but a cleaner planet is worth paying a little extra for.

The above two posts are interesting, "unreasonable sacrifices" are something I never thought about, but it gives one reason to pause for sure.
Here's the thing though, instead of getting rid of fireworks & dealing with the political fallout, wouldn't it be so much simpler to find something else to make the things out of instead of the garbage they're made with?

The above two posts are interesting, "unreasonable sacrifices" are something I never thought about, but it gives one reason to pause for sure.
Here's the thing though, instead of getting rid of fireworks & dealing with the political fallout, wouldn't it be so much simpler to find something else to make the things out of instead of the garbage they're made with?

4th of July without fireworks is like Christmas without a tree. Thanksgiving without dinner. Easter without an egghunt. Halloween without costumes. Valentine's Day without chocolate. Komodo no Hi without koi flags. Channukah without a menorah.

Agreed, we should hold off on bashing fireworks. People need to celebrate, and there are many worse things we could to.
Plus, if and when we make enough progress that fireworks on the 4th (or at Disney) are actually a significant portion of our pollution, well, not only would that be a vast improvement, it would mean that we'd probably be able to find more eco-friendly ways to make them without potentially damaging a greater cause. Right now, let's stop wasting time on the little things and go for the big problems- global warming, fossil fuel use, disposal of waste in landfills, water, and the air, insufficient recycling, global poverty and habitat destruction, farming practices, water use, and so on. When those are solved, we can go after the next biggest problems, and so on.

Agreed that it is a relatively small problem. However, I remember when I was a kid and fireworks on the 4th of July were a big deal. Now, it seems like they blow them off at every single festival all summer long. What used to be a special treat is now just some noise and lights in the background.

Yes, fireworks only happen once a year, but awareness needs to be raised constantly. I'm not saying fireworks should be banned, but their environmental impacts shouldn't be ignored, either.

For the annual celebration, fine...but fireworks are everywhere now. Baseball games, Disney, etc. I say we nag about the extraneous displays, not the 4th.

My family lights organic beeswax candles on Independence Day, holds hands, and sings Kumbaya.

Man, some of you are lucky. In my neighborhood, people are setting off fireworks for most of July. I wish it was limited to just one big 4th showdown. Then I don't get have to look at my watch and yell "Happy seventh of August!" when random fireworks are going off.

According to the CDC 11 people died and 9,200 were injured by fireworks in 2006 (not to mention injury to the flying and crawling critters). I would hope that we can find some way of celebrating our country that doesn't include mimicking canon fire and gunshot...

Wet blankets are just no fun at all! I think that yes fireworks are probably another one of the many awful things we shoot into the air without thought or concern, but we need to have some give here. They don't happen everyday and in this time of doom and gloom at least we have some pretty fireworks to look at and remember a simpler time.

Dear Editors of Treehugger,

I am an environmental scientist with a specialization in hazardous wastes, and I need to inform you this article about fireworks is filled with inaccuracies. This is a political piece designed to stop people from being concerned about firework contamination, yet fireworks contamination is a critical environmental issue, especially here in the US.

For the past six years EPA has researched and funded on the toxicity and dangers of perchlorate contamination, and the findings have found this to be a serious environmental contaminant with possible overwhelming health consequences. The US has twice the cancer rate than anywhere else in the world, and our use of fireworks is by far the highest in the world (much more than China). Perchlorates are toxic at the ppb concentrations and a DIRECT endocrine disruptor (not just thyroid as your author posted). The science speaks for itself. It is believed, among many concerned environmental scientists, that fireworks and munition waste in the US is a main culprit to our outrageously high cancer rates. As you must know, people dictate policy and people like their fireworks. Thus, stressing the importance of this issue has been extremely difficult for scientists and EPA (Sound familiar? It was the same issue with global warming.).

Please, to make your site credible and have a greater impact don't just hire sexy writers, rather stick to the science and facts.

Thanks for letting me share.
Lena H

Thanks for the information, Lena.

As someone whose thyroid suddenly stopped working at the age of 19, I have always been particularly interested in new research into various environmental impacts on the endocrine system. It is quite alarming to me that hundreds of women in Louisiana under the age of 30, have thyroid disease and/or thyroid cancer. Some local doctors see it as an epidemic.

That we live next to the Mississippi River and all along "Cancer Alley" plays a large factor, no doubt, but I hadn't considered other possibilities such as millions of fireworks' chemicals traveling down the Mississippi to the bottom, to Louisiana.

Maybe some sort of laser show could replace fireworks.

Better yet, coordinate a blackout and reintroduce cityslickers to the stars.

Having just finished our Independence Day here in Trinidad, I would have to say that fireworks do not just pollute the environment by nasty chemicals. Here in Trinidad where 'nature' is more evident, the fireworks noise wreaks havoc. Dogs are running wild, climbing fences, and otherwise going crazy. The birds awaken and can be seen flying around chaotically. A large vulture even came into our apartment one Independence day. And the bats go mad.
I am fed up of fireworks. The displays need to be shorter, less boring for what the negative environmental impacts are, and less noisy. A laser show with music from a world famous musician are much better options all around.