Fireworks Reduce Air Quality During New Year’s Eve
Fireworks produce a lot of fine particles. They temporarily degrade air quality, especially in urban areas during New Year’s Eve. Even short-term high particle concentrations can worsen chronic lung and heart conditions. Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority (HSY) advises avoiding smoky areas and watching fireworks from a distance.
Inhaling smoke from fireworks is harmful to health
Fireworks contain several chemicals and metals that create their colorful displays. When launched into the air, these chemicals and metals form fine particles. Smoke from fireworks containing fine particles is not good for anyone’s health, so it is best to avoid it if possible.
Especially people with asthma, other chronic lung diseases, or coronary artery disease, as well as small children, should watch fireworks from a distance. Small children can more easily develop respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, and runny nose from the smoke than healthy adults.
– If you want to watch fireworks, you should avoid places where smoke is visible at breathing height or where the air smells of smoke, advises Hanna Manninen, head of HSY’s air protection unit.
Smoke lingers in the air, especially in calm weather
Smoke from fireworks deteriorates air quality, especially when it is calm. In windy weather, air pollutants disperse more quickly. HSY monitors air quality in the Helsinki metropolitan area, and New Year’s fireworks smoke can be seen particularly in city centers and residential areas as elevated fine particle concentrations.
– In calm weather, fine particle concentrations can rise very high on New Year’s Eve, up to 15–20 times higher than normal. Air quality is classified as poor if the hourly concentration of fine particles exceeds 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Last New Year’s Eve, the highest measured concentration was 124, Manninen says.
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