The Cost of Fireworks

[00:00:00] Listen Listen Listen Listen Listen Listen Welcome to Listen Here, a podcast about the soundscapes around us and the stories they tell us about the places where we find ourselves. I'm your host, Kristen Page.

[00:00:27] When you think about summer nights, What sounds do you think of? I guess it depends on where you live. Maybe you live in a busy city, so you don't notice changes from season to season.

[00:00:52] But maybe you live in a more rural area, so that in the summer you hear mostly crickets and frogs. Regardless of where you live, if you live in the United States, you probably hear a lot more fireworks in the summer, and especially at the beginning of July.

[00:01:10] Quite exciting, and are traditional parts of celebrations everywhere in the world. From New Year's Eve celebrations to Diwali to the 4th of July, displays of beautiful colors and dissolving patterns evoke for many a celebratory atmosphere.

[00:01:37] These colors do not come without noise, though. Fireworks were accidentally discovered around 200 BCE in China, when someone threw bamboo into a fire, and the air pockets within the bamboo expanded and exploded. So noise has been the point of fireworks from the very beginning. It wasn't until somewhat later, probably sometime between 600 and 900 CE,

[00:02:07] that gunpowder was added, and light became important. Adding metals one at a time allowed for some color, but the multicolor displays we think of when we think of fireworks weren't developed until the 1830s. In the United States, fireworks have been used to celebrate Independence Day from nearly the beginning,

[00:02:35] with the first organized fireworks celebration occurring in Philadelphia on the 4th of July, 1777. Now, fireworks are the standard way to celebrate. Anywhere you go in the United States on the 4th of July, you will find fireworks the entire first week of July.

[00:03:13] Have you ever considered the environmental impact of fireworks? More than 270 million pounds of fireworks are detonated each year in the United States. This decreases the air quality and increases the environmental presence of metals and other contaminants. I read quite a few studies about the environmental impacts of fireworks.

[00:03:38] One study that was conducted in Minneapolis measured the increase in particle concentration between 10 p.m. and midnight on the 3rd of July and the 4th of July. And what they found was a 180 to 600% increase in these particles between the 3rd and the 4th. The same study measured a 32% increase in carbon monoxide.

[00:04:14] Perchlorate is an anion that's used as an oxidizer in fireworks to achieve bright flashes. Perchlorate has been found in water and soil following fireworks displays, and it's a big concern because it's a thyroid disruptor. According to one study, they found perchlorate transported easily through stormwater and groundwater. They found that it could bioaccumulate and enter our food chain.

[00:04:44] And, unfortunately, perchlorate can last for a long time in the environment, especially in places where we're not trying to clean it up. Another pollutant of concern are microplastics. In a really interesting study by Devereaux and others conducted along the Thames during New Year's,

[00:05:07] they found a 1,000% increase in microplastics on New Year's morning as compared to just 24 hours earlier. Pollution of water and soil following fireworks is well documented. But on this podcast, we're interested in sounds. So I wanted to know more about the impact of noise pollution associated with fireworks.

[00:05:34] Have you ever considered just how loud fireworks are? Well, the people that are deploying the fireworks are at the greatest risk because if you're right next to the detonation source, you're experiencing about 170 decibels. Just for reference, sounds over 85 decibels can cause permanent hearing damage with prolonged exposure. And sounds at 120 decibels can cause immediate injury.

[00:06:03] If you're watching a fireworks display, you could experience between 120 and 150 decibels, even far away from the source. Exposure to loud sounds like these fireworks can cause plenty of health issues beyond damage to hearing. Sudden loud sounds can induce anxiety. It can increase cardiovascular stress. If you're trying to sleep in areas where fireworks are being deployed,

[00:06:33] you will have disrupted sleep, which has its own health implications. And of course, fireworks can exacerbate post-traumatic stress disorder. The impacts of fireworks on human health are well documented. We also know quite a bit about the impacts of fireworks on pet health. If you have a pet dog, maybe you know how the noise can induce stress and anxiety.

[00:06:59] Maybe you have a pet that requires sedation to get through the days leading up to and following holidays where people celebrate with fireworks. This noise-related stress is well documented for dogs. But I was surprised to not find a lot of work done on the impacts of fireworks on other animal species. But there has been some work done, and most of this research has been conducted on birds.

[00:07:23] The noise that comes along with celebrations using fireworks is especially problematic when the celebrations are occurring during bird migration or bird breeding season. The noise and the lice associated with the displays can startle and confuse wildlife. For example, two years in a row, thousands of red-wing blackbirds died with fireworks displays in Bebe, Arkansas.

[00:07:53] In 2011, more than 5,000 blackbirds died following a New Year's Eve fireworks display in Bebe. Wildlife officials explain that this species is easily startled and does not have good night vision, so the birds flew into buildings and trees and died. I also read about mass bird deaths associated with fireworks in Rome, Italy in 2021.

[00:08:17] In Taylor, Texas, a 4th of July fireworks display was too close to an egret rookery. When the fireworks were deployed, one spectator described a wave of birds flying up and into power lines, killing them. In addition to mass mortality events of single species, noise associated with fireworks can impact the entire ecosystem.

[00:08:42] One study in Mexico found that bird species richness and abundance in a lagoon habitat decreased on days where fireworks were nearby. Another study in the Netherlands, conducted on New Year's Eve over several years, demonstrated high levels of disturbance of bird biodiversity. This study used radar to quantify the movements and behaviors of birds and found that thousands of birds took flight at midnight on New Year's Eve.

[00:09:11] In another study conducted in the UK, researchers measured flight activity using radar between festivals where fireworks were common and periods with no fireworks. What they found was that birds were way more active on nights with fireworks than nights without. The birds flew in larger numbers and at higher elevations. Disturbances like these could have implications for conservation.

[00:09:38] There is more evidence for birds being disturbed by noise than other species, but I did read some anecdotal evidence that fireworks disturb mammals as well. For example, I read about a wildlife rehab facility that reported that they expect 20% increases in patients due to the 4th of July fireworks. There's also evidence that marine mammals are impacted by the noise of fireworks,

[00:10:03] as harbor seals have been reported to leave their haul-out locations during firework displays. To me, the lack of evidence regarding impacts of firework-associated noise on wildlife is really only because we haven't looked. Fireworks cause disturbances beyond the noise of explosions. Where there are fireworks, there are a lot of people, which leads to increases in other kinds of noise that disturb wildlife, like road noise or loud live music.

[00:10:32] When people gather together to celebrate, there's noise, and this noise will impact the wildlife sharing our spaces. In the United States, we just celebrated our 250th anniversary, with thousands of firework displays all across our country. As you might expect, the biggest firework display was in Washington, D.C. Normally, the national display lasts about 17 minutes,

[00:11:02] and fires between 17,000 and 20,000 shells into the sky. But for the 250th celebration, the display lasted a record-breaking 40 minutes, and around 850,000 shells were deployed. The display was created by launching shells from about 10 different locations at a rate of 354 explosions per second.

[00:11:29] The sound was described as a continuous roar. There were no breaks between the launches. I read an amazing essay by Chad Topaz, a data scientist, mathematician, and professor of complex systems at Williams University. He clearly explains the math behind the show. I'll link his essay on my website, because you should read it. But one thing that he explained that really struck me

[00:11:58] is that the rate of explosions during this national celebration was such that those in attendance couldn't hear individual explosions or even see every single firework. At a rate of 354 fireworks per second, the average person would miss between 35 and 142 fireworks just by blinking. I'll end this episode by asking you to consider the cost of these celebrations.

[00:12:27] The National Park Service produced an internal document that assessed the potential impact on the environment of the national firework display. It was projected that there would be significant production of small particulate matter, PM 2.5. This is very dangerous pollution because small particulate matter can penetrate deep into lung tissue and even enter the bloodstream. This increases the risks of so many health conditions,

[00:12:56] including heart attacks, asthma attacks, and even neurologic damage. Firework displays increase heavy metal and microplastics in the environment, and many of the pollutants persist for months to years. The poor air quality at the 2026 National Fireworks Display lasted for over six hours, and it certainly had a lasting impact on those in attendance, as well as the surrounding ecosystems.

[00:13:24] Noise was not even considered in the internal document, but the information posted online about attending the event did suggest wearing hearing protection. What is the cost of this 40-minute display? It was estimated to have cost $6 to $7 million, straight out of the National Park Service's budget. I'm not sure that that's a fair representation of the true cost, though. Nature provides so many beautiful soundscapes,

[00:13:55] many of which I've recorded in our national parks. And to me, these displays are the best way to celebrate. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Until next time, listen.

[00:14:23] Keep your ears to the ground and listen here, wherever you go. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen.