Are "Greener" Fireworks Better?

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This weekend thousands of people will gaze up into the skies to watch firework spectacles, but some researchers report that "traditional" fireworks can present health and environmental risks. So what about eco-friendly alternatives? Are they better, and do they achieve the same mouth gaping, awe-inspiring, colorful explosions?

Traditional fireworks are made up of fuel and an oxidizer, (usually perchlorate salt - an oxygen-rich chemical made up of chlorine and oxygen), both of which are toxic compounds. Put it all together, add some serious heat, and the heavy metals in the fireworks produce color. Ooo, ahhh. The entire concoction is fired into the sky using a propellant, generally gunpowder, you know...the stuff in bullets. However exciting this may sound, what goes up must also come down...into the air, nearby water and ultimately into our soil.

Scientists now know perchlorate can interfere with the way the body takes iodide into the thyroid and can disrupt the gland's regulation of metabolism. In developing fetuses and newborns, iodine (the body reduces iodide to iodine) deficiency can cause mental retardation.

Also, some of the heavy metals that make fireworks colorful may also be poisonous when heated. For example, antimony, which is sometimes used to produce the color white, can harm the lungs, heart, stomach and other organs. Barium, which provides a green hue can also be toxic to the heart and "does something really nasty to your insides and gastrointestinal tract," said Michael Hiskey, an explosive chemist and co-founder of DMD Systems, a pyrotechnic research and development company.

DMD Systems currently produces a line of fireworks that are perchlorate-free and contain about one-tenth the amount of barium used by traditional fireworks. Hiskey's formulation uses nitrocellulose as fuel and nitrates as oxidizer, thus avoiding perchlorates altogether. This reaction produces only stable gases like carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen, cutting down considerably on the metal oxides and potassium chloride that are released from more traditional fireworks as smoke.

Because eco-friendly fireworks produce less smoke they are more visible and the colors more vibrant. Presently many theme parks and concert venues use the eco-friendly fireworks produced by DMD Systems. Whether you can expect to see them explode at a local 4th of July celebration comes down to cost and demand. Voice concerns to your local officials, and perhaps you can make a difference in your town.