No Fourth of July celebration is complete without fireworks.
However, slowly people are getting aware that these fireworks have the potential to harm the environment.
The technology used for making fireworks still uses gun powder, something that was used even before the American Revolution.
When the fireworks explode, lighting up the night sky, little do most people know that they give out toxic pollutants that not only violate the laws of Clean Air Act, but also poison the environment.
When a fire cracker is burst, it will give out smoke and dust particles that have different heavy metals, poisonous chemicals and also sulfur coal compounds.
These are based on the effects that need to be created when the fireworks are lit.
For example, the bright green color of a fire cracker comes from barium, and many of us do know that barium is not only poisonous but also radioactive.
The blue color comes from compounds of copper which contain dioxins, which are carcinogenic.
Other poisonous chemicals and compounds used in fireworks include cadmium, antimony, lithium, lead, strontium and potassium.
All these compounds can cause respiratory problems and many other health issues.
Fireworks also have the potential of contaminating our water supplies, and causing acid rain.
Plus, after a firework display, the entire area is littered with debris, which can find their way into water bodies harming the flora and fauna.
This is the reason there are some states in the US that have stringent laws when it comes to fireworks displays; and everyone has to follows these laws.
So, it can be said rather emphatically that fireworks have the ability to cause harm to the environment as they can pollute and contaminate the air, water and soil.