Fireworks??

SO I got to thinking this morning... What is the environmental impact of fireworks. Before doing research I decided they have to be bad. There is no way they could be good for our health. And now I no longer really care if I see any fireworks ever again. So there is much debate, even from my loving fiance. But one article on Treehugger.com had this comment posted that interested me and its from 2 years ago:


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



So, for now I am no longer buying sparklers or any other small items like poppers. Really, is it worth the environmental impact for maybe an hour of fun?? I don't think there is anything I can really do to prevent them from ever happening, but that doesn't mean I won't try. Stay tuned for that!


On a similar note, I have been against balloons and most party decorations for awhile now. I am all about an eco-friendly party! 


Have a happy fourth and don't let me make you feel too guilty. After all, not going to watch the fireworks doesn't reduce their impact.