Impact of Fireworks on Air Quality

Fireworks displays emit a diverse range of chemical species into the atmosphere, including fine and coarse particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), metal-rich fragments and gaseous precursors. These emissions provoke acute increases in ambient particle concentrations, with local peaks often exceeding daily air quality standards for several hours. The unique blend of metals—such as barium, strontium, potassium and trace heavy metals—alters aerosol composition, promoting secondary reactions that yield sulphates, nitrates and secondary organic aerosols over subsequent days. The atmospheric ageing of firework-derived particles affects optical properties, visibility and contributes to regional haze episodes. Epidemiological evidence suggests potential short-term health effects, though mortality links remain equivocal, highlighting the need for further study. Spatial and temporal patterns vary with meteorology, display scale and regulatory context, underlining the global relevance of fireworks emissions from cultural celebrations. Improved source characterisation and source-apportionment techniques inform air quality models and guide policy interventions, such as restrictions or alternatives to pyrotechnics, to mitigate public health and environmental impacts.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent investigations have examined the association between New Year’s Eve particulate peaks and daily mortality in densely populated regions. The first hour of celebrations can elevate PM10 concentrations by several hundred micrograms per cubic metre over baseline. While linear regressions yielded inconsistent associations with all-cause mortality, case-crossover analyses indicated a link between elevated PM10 and increased daily deaths. These findings underscore the complexity of assessing acute health outcomes and call for more nuanced epidemiological approaches to distinguish firework-specific particulate effects.

Impact of Fireworks on Air Quality publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in impact of fireworks on air quality across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10): Airborne solid or liquid particles with aerodynamic diameters below 2.5 µm (fine) and 10 µm (coarse).

Secondary organic aerosol: Fine particles formed in the atmosphere by oxidation of volatile organic compounds.

Source apportionment: Analytical method to quantify contributions of different emission sources to ambient pollutant concentrations.

Positive matrix factorisation (PMF): Receptor modelling technique that deconvolves measured pollutant profiles into source factors and contributions.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen, indicative of oxidative stress in biological systems.

References

1. The impacts of firework burning at the Chinese Spring Festival on air quality: insights of tracers, source evolution and aging processes. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2015).
2. Aerosol composition and sources during the Chinese Spring Festival: fireworks, secondary aerosol, and holiday effects. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2015).
3. Estimation of the direct and indirect impacts of fireworks on the physicochemical characteristics of atmospheric PM10 and PM2.5. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2014).
4. Source apportionment of highly time-resolved elements during a firework episode from a rural freeway site in Switzerland. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2020).
5. Toxicity of particles emitted by fireworks. Particle and Fibre Toxicology (2020).
6. Air pollution during New Year’s fireworks and daily mortality in the Netherlands. Scientific Reports (2019).