Dazzling New Year’s Eve fireworks come with a terrible environmental price
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Blasting the way into 2025 could have dangerous consequences for human and animal health alike. Fireworks have been lit in celebration for thousands of years, and this New Year’s Eve is no different. “Based on the fact that fireworks are so high in metal content compared to regular particles that we breathe, I believe they’re extremely toxic,” he said.
![[Fireworks – seen here over Britain’s London Eye to celebrate the new year on Tuesday – are very loud and can damage human hearing and cause animals to flee in a panic]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/31/18/AP24366092499974.jpg)
That’s something medical experts agree with. Exposure has been shown to increase lung diseases and chronic cough. Particles produced by firework smoke, known as particulate matter, can also cause heart attacks, stroke, and premature death. Personal fireworks are even more dangerous because of their proximity to humans.
![[Fireworks explode over Australia’s Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge during New Year’s Eve celebrations on Tuesday. To mitigate ecosystem effects, experts suggest using more animal-friendly alternatives, like light shows]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/31/18/AP24366502253879.jpg)
“The amount of pollution depends on how big the fireworks are, how long they last, and the weather conditions at the time. Fireworks can also start wildfires, creating even more smoke and making air pollution worse,” the association warns. In addition to effects on human health, there are more immediate consequences for Earth’s wildlife and environment that may last well after the holiday.
“Fireworks create short-term noise and light disturbances that cause distress in domestic animals that may be managed before or after a firework event, but the impacts to wildlife can be on a much larger scale,” Bill Bateman, the study lead author and associate professor from Australia-based Curtin University’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, explained. He noted that the annual timing of large-scale events coincides with migratory and reproductive movements of some species.
