
Episode 7 – Fireworks
Fireworks are quite exciting and are traditional parts of celebrations everywhere in the world. From New Years’ Eve celebrations to Diwali to fourth of July. Displays of beautiful colors and dissolving patterns evoke (for many) a celebratory atmosphere. These colors do not come without pollution and noise! In the US, we just celebrated our 250th anniversary – with thousands of fireworks displays across the country. The noise that comes along with celebrations like this is especially problematic when they occur during migration or the breeding season for wildlife. The 2026 National Fireworks Celebration lasted for 40 minutes and deployed 850,000 shells at 354 explosions per second. What was the cost?
Image created with Adobe generative AI
Literature Cited
Bach W, Daniels A, Dickinson L, Hertlein F, Morrows J, Margolis S, Dinh Dinh V. 1975. Fireworks pollution and health. 7(3):183-192.
Bateman PW, Gilson LN, Bradshaw P. 2023. Not just a flash in the pan: short and long term impacts of fireworks on the environment. Pacific Conservation Biology, 29(5):396-401.
Cao X, Zhang X, Tong DQ, Chen W, Zhang S, Zhao H, Xiu A. 2018. Review on physicochemical properties of pollutants released from fireworks: environmental and health effects and prevention. Environmental Review 26:133-155.
Devereux R. Westhead E K, Jayaratne R, Newport D. 2022. Microplastic abundance in the Thames river during the New Year period. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 177:113534.
EPA. Health and Environmental effects of particulate matter (PM). https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/health-and-environmental-effects-particulate-matter-pm
Fang C, Naidu R. 2023. A review of perchlorate contamination: Analysis and remediation strategies. Chemosphere 338:139562.
Glabicki Q, Einhorn C, and Joselow M. 2026. Bombs bursting in air means hours of smoke and confused dogs in D.C. New York Times, 2 July 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/climate/fireworks-effects-washington-smoke-dogs.html
Gonzalez A, Boies A, Swanson J, Kittelson D. 2023. Measuring the effect of fireworks on air quality in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2023. SN Applied Sciences 4:142.
Hoekstra B, Bouten W, Dokter A, van Gasteren H, van Turnhout C, Kranstauber B, van Loon E, Leijnse H, Shamoun-Baranes J. 2024. Fireworks disturbance across bird communities. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 22(1):e2694.
Popielarz T. 2026. As Washington prepares for its biggest-ever fireworks display, questions arise about sourcing and costs. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/us/snplus/politics/2026/07/03/national-mall-fireworks-source-cost
Richards H. 2026. NPS warns of air quality threat from Trump’s supersized DC fireworks. E&E News by Politico. https://www.eenews.net/articles/nps-warns-of-air-quality-threat-from-trumps-oversize-dc-fireworks/
Richards H. 2026. NPS warns of air quality threat from Trump’s supersized DC fireworks. E&E News by Politico. https://www.eenews.net/articles/nps-warns-of-air-quality-threat-from-trumps-oversize-dc-fireworks/
Rodríguez-Casanova AJ, Zuria I, Hernández-Silva DA. 2022. Effect of firework festivities on bird richness and abundance at a natural protected wetland in central Mexico. Waterbirds 45(3):277-286.
Shamoun-Baranes J, Dokter AM, van Gasteren H, van Loon EE, Leijnse H, Bouten W. 2011. Birds flee en mass from New Year’s Eve fireworks. Behavioral Ecology 22(6):1173-1177.
Topaz CM. 2026. Three hundred fifty-four fireworks per second. https://chadtopaz.com/essays/fireworks-per-second.html
Wayman JP, Atkinson G, Johangir M, White D, Matthews TJ, Antoniou M, Reynolds SJ, Sadler JP. 2023. L-band radar quantifies major disturbance of birds by fireworks in an urban area. Scientific Reports 13:12085.
Music Credits:
Jack Tar – United States Naval Academy Band
Layer Cake – John Patitucci
Outlaw’s farewell – Reed Mathis
City Walk – John Patitucci
