Call me Buzzkill Jill, because I’m about to say something that’s certain to bum out—even tick off—plenty of people, including my mom. Fireworks, that perennial symbol of wholesome family fun, are really bad for the environment and our health.
I can already hear the whining: What’s so bad about a 15-minute pyrotechnics show that brings people joy? To that I’d say two things. First, fireworks do not bring joy to everyone. In fact, they can cause real harm to veterans and others who suffer from PTSD. (Chances are your dog hates them, too.) Second, all that razzle-dazzle takes a serious toll in the form of wildfires, poor air quality, pollution, and wildlife trauma. Not to mention the fact that in 2022 fireworks sent 10,200 people to the emergency room and caused 11 deaths.
Fireworks Cause Wildfires—Lots of Them
Fireworks sparked an estimated 31,302 fires in 2022 that caused an estimated $109 million in direct property damage, according to Michele Steinberg from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). More than 85 percent of those were wildfires. In 2017, a 15-year old boy chucked a firecracker into a dry riverbed on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge during a fire ban. It sparked the Eagle Creek fire, which destroyed 50,000 acres, impacted air quality all the way to Canada, trapped 147 hikers amid the blaze, and took more than three months and $40 million to snuff. The boy who started the blaze was sentenced to 1,920 hours of community service and fined $37 million.
Still, fireworks are legal in all states except Massachusetts, where they were outlawed in 2020. The proliferation of consumer fireworks makes many who work in the fire fighting industry hot under the collar. “The NFPA does not support the use of any consumer fireworks,” says Steinberg. “Professional fireworks shows are safer because the providers have to be licensed and permitted. There’s a lot more control over the usage and first responders and emergency personnel can be at the ready. Consumer fireworks are never safe.”
Safety precautions for professional shows need to be rigorous, too. The late Bill Gabbert, founder of the website Wildfire Today and a fire management officer for the park service, developed a rigorous checklist to determine whether fireworks shows could go on safely at various NPS sites. Organizers had to obtain a Spot Weather Forecast from the National Weather Service, examine wind speed, and confirm the availability of qualified firefighters, and evaluate the likelihood that a stray ember could ignite a potential fuel source, like a ponderosa pine.
Fireworks Cause Air, Land, and Water Pollution
What goes up must come down. When fireworks explode, they rain down plastic, gun power, heavy metals like lead, copper, cadmium, titanium, and aluminum, and toxic chemicals like perchlorates. These impact air quality, human health,waterways, and soil.
In a 2015 paper on the impact of fireworks on air quality, climate scientist Dian Seidel found that the 4th of July brings with it a pronounced spike in pollution across the nation. The study, which was co-authored with her student, Abigail Birnbaum, focused on the presence of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the days surrounding Independence Day.
“PM 2.5 is the type of particulate matter that’s most damaging to our health,” says Seidel. “When you breathe dirty air, blow your nose, and see all that nasty dirt, those are larger particles of pollution. But the finer particles that lodge deep in your lungs, the ones that carry heavy metals and other carcinogens that damage cardiovascular and respiratory systems, those are the PM 2.5 particles.”
Seidel’s study, which captured air quality metrics from stations all over the country over multiple years, found an average 42 percent spike in PM 2.5 in the hours following fireworks. The amount of pollution varies depending on the proximity to the fireworks, weather conditions, and the size of the display: Seidel found an increase of several hundred percent at one station close to the launch zone.
“If you watch fireworks close to the launch point, you’ll be exposed to high rates of PM 2.5, especially if you’re downwind,” Seidel says. “This can be quite serious for susceptible people: the young, the old, and anyone with respiratory conditions.”
The health perils are not limited to big professional fireworks shows. Consumer fireworks also emit dangerous toxins, including lead, at even closer ranges.
The chemicals and plastic that fireworks leave behind impact more than just human health. 5 Gyres, a nonprofit focused on reducing plastics pollution, almost always finds bits of fireworks in their regular trash cleanups, says Marcus Erikson, a researcher for the organization. “Collectively, fireworks add up to a tsunami of pollution in the environment–little plastic cones and stems, half-melted plastic cords, cellophane wrappers. It’s a tragedy of commons,” he says. All those microplastics are toxic on a cellular, genetic, and neurological level for animals, according to a 2022 paper published in Science of the Total Environment.
A 2022 study of The River of Thames in England showed an enormous increase in microplastic pollution following the New Year’s Eve firework show. And a U.S. Geological Survey report in 2016 found elevated levels of perchlorate in groundwater and soil samples in the area where Mount Rushmore’s annual fireworks show takes place. Perchlorate interferes with the function of the human thyroid gland and also remains in the environment for long periods of time, impacting soil, flora, and fauna.
Fireworks Freak Out Wildlife
If you own a pet, you know how scared they can get when fireworks start popping. The same goes for wildlife. In a 2023 paper, Professor Bill Bateman of Curtin University studied fireworks’ impact on animals and found both immediate and long-lasting effects. Noise and lights caused short-term fear responses, “like animals leaving an area and then coming back,” he says. There were significant long-term consequences as well. “Disturbances to roosting or nesting animals caused harmful expenditure of energy and in some cases reduced breeding success,” he says. The toxic haze of heavy metals and pollutants also influenced animal health.
“The effects of fireworks were multifarious and profound,” Bateman says. “We were pretty much blown away by the extent of them. Fireworks are not a minor problem. My feeling is that the time of fireworks is over. We need to consider other options, such as drone displays.”
The Case for Drone Fireworks—A Better Way to Celebrate
Heat domes and droughts are the new normal these days, so it might indeed be time to move toward a gentler and just-as-cool way to celebrate. That’s why many cities, like Salt Lake City, Utah; Napa, California; and Nashville, Tennessee have switched from combustible fireworks to drone shows.
Tahoe City, California, dropped fireworks in favor of drones in 2022, following the Caldor fire (started by a bullet strike) which torched over 220,000 acres, took more than two months to contain, wreaked havoc on air quality, and forced the evacuation of more than 50,000 people. “It was a terrifying experience,” recalls Katie Biggers, executive director of Tahoe City Downtown Association. “Fire safety, as well as environmental pollution, was the primary driver behind our move away from a combustible 4th of July celebration.”
Tahoe’s 2023 drone fireworks show was a big success with 2,500 people watching from the lakefront and another 100 on boats. The 15-minute show used 300 drones, synched to music which was broadcast on local radio stations.
Biggers says the community loves the new eco-friendly drone fireworks show. “Our lake, our surrounding mountains, our wildlife—these are the reasons people live and visit here, so sustainability and stewardship are core values in Tahoe City,” she says. “When you look at the fire danger we’ve lived through here, 4th of July fireworks just don’t make sense.”
“Change can be hard and we had a few people complain that not doing traditional fireworks was unpatriotic,” says Biggers. “But more importantly, we also heard from veterans and members of their families who were thrilled to be able to celebrate together without navigating the fear of getting triggered by the loud explosions.”
Doing right by the planet can make you happier, healthier, and—yes—wealthier. Outside’s head of sustainability, Kristin Hostetter, explores small lifestyle tweaks that can make a big impact. Sign up for her twice monthly newsletter or write to her at climateneutral-ish@outsideinc.com.