As the holiday season comes to its penultimate festive end, many cities celebrate by lighting thousands of fireworks on New Years' Eve, unaware of their potential harm. 

Depending on the weather, the high levels of pollution that spike on the night might continue anywhere from a few hours to many days.

The Austrian Air Pollution Control Act defines and provides a guideline on the specific limit value for particulate matter exposure relating to human health. On January 1, 2021, the limit value for human health protection was surpassed at two testing stations in Graz and one measuring point in Linz.

Particulate matter exposure on New Year's Eve was minimal in 2021 due to Covid restrictions in comparison to previous years.

According to the guidelines set forth in the act, exceedances of this limit are permitted 25 times each calendar year.

A small portion of the yearly particulate matter emissions come from fireworks, but the majority take place on New Year's Eve. On average, that night's fireworks account for less than 0.6% of yearly PM10 (particulate matter: dust particles with a maximum diameter of 10 micrometers) and PM2.5 emissions. The air we breathe contains particulate matter, which penetrates the human body. It also settles in water and land.

Colors of pollution

Fireworks include an array of metal compounds like aluminum salts, lead, and copper, strontium, as well as barium, and zinc to give them color.

The particles are released during the detonation and are detected as components in the tiny particulate debris. Chemical examinations conducted by the federal province of Salzburg on fine particulate matter samples collected on New Year's Eve 2014/2015 revealed somewhat significantly higher values for aluminum, lead, chromium, copper, strontium, and zinc.

Possible injuries

In addition to the effects of released chemical compounds, fragments of used fireworks are sometimes improperly disposed of and left in the environment, which can harm animals. Furthermore, the leftover plastic elements eventually degrade into microplastics.

Because sound pressure grows considerably with decreasing distance, being too close to fireworks is hazardous to one's hearing. The volume of bangers is highly stressful for the elderly and young children. And because of their unique hearing capacities, animals may also be affected by noise.

According to the Austrian Road Safety Board (as of 2019), around 200 persons are critically wounded each year as a result of incorrect usage of fireworks and seek medical care at a hospital following an accident. Approximately 90% of these incidents happen in the hours leading up to New Year's Eve. The eyes, ears, and hands are the most commonly injured parts of the body.

What can be done?

Alternatives for fireworks are light and laser shows that offer the same colors and fun without any detrimental effects to human health or the environment.