I am asking our local and state politicians for stricter policies on fireworks and to start advocating for nature.
If you don't know better then we can just be ignorant to the issue, but these are leaders that know better and yet they would rather stand by and enjoy them than to fight against them. After you start talking about banning fireworks and then people only hear that you are taking away their right, even though it is not our right to destroy the earth.
I'm not sure why we aren't looking further into the damage that these toxic chemicals are doing to our environment, but I assure you that nature will have its revenge on us for this. They release toxic chemicals, poisons and gases into the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the lakes and rivers that we swim in and that our wildlife drinks, and then it seeps into the soil that we grow our food in.
Fireworks have been linked to increased air pollution and environmentalists are concerned about the negative effects on wildlife. They spray out toxic concoctions that rains down quickly into lakes rivers and bays throughout the country and many of these chemicals and fireworks are also persistent in the environment, meaning they sit there instead of breaking down.
The stars inside a firework are made up of heavy metals that produce their awe-inspiring colors, though some studies suggest that the heavy metals have a seriously negative impact on human and environmental health.
Common heavy metal colorants in fireworks include strontium (red), aluminum (white), copper (blue), barium (green), rubidium (purple) and cadmium (various).
According to an article on the tree hugger, "short-term exposure to air pollution is linked to cardiovascular and respiratory mortality and morbidity. The particles emitted from a fireworks display can damage cells and lungs in mammals".
Fireworks are illegal and in many areas there are laws made in an effort to reduce the risk of fires and other safety concerns, so you should always check with your city or state before setting them off. Violations can result in a hefty fine and sometimes even jail time.
Let's keep discussing this and hopefully we'll all be educated a little bit more so the next time that you enjoy your fireworks display, whether you do it over a body of water, a lake or an open field, then I hope that this will make you think and be more aware of the damage that they cause.
The plastic that they are wrapped in doesn't burn up when the firework explodes and how many of you actually clean up your debris from your fireworks and if you don't then it's all seeping into the environment and then it makes its way into the marine ecosystems and that pollutes the water and harms our wildlife.
Fireworks cause an expensive amount of air pollution in a short amount of time. Their explosions can leave dangerous toxins, fine metal particles and harmful chemicals in the air for days. Once these dangerous chemicals and toxins find their way to the ground they contaminate our soil and waterways.
Now, let's talk about trees and how they're harmed by fireworks.
The toxic chemicals from the fireworks mixed with the carbon dioxide in the air which then trees inhale, this can corrupt the life of the plant and the environment.
When the trees inhale this air they then exhale the air that we inhale. This harms plant life trees and essentially they harm the environment and this is because of the exchange of air between humans and trees because toxic chemicals mixed with oxygen puts humans in danger. But my main concern is what it does to nature because I reached the point of not believing too much in us humans.
Litter and marine life: "Due to the distraction of the fireworks this litter is usually unnoticed in the water cycle run off is when water slides on hills and slopes back into lakes rivers etc. When this occurs the runoff can interfere with this litter and all of the litter and unnatural toxic chemicals are left on the ground, however in some cases run off brings this litter and unnecessary items and then become washed into the sea then it can harm marine animals plants and more. This occasion on a massive scale can interrupt the food chain completely. For example, if a whale's primary source of food becomes extinct due to the litter caused by fireworks, the whales will run out of food then they become extinct and this continues on to the point where all life on Earth is extinct. The main chemicals that can harm these sea animals are charcoal and potassium nitride".
Soil:
As well as toxic chemicals from fireworks being washed into the sea, fireworks can unleash several toxins on to the ground and into the soil if the litter is not carried off into the sea they remain on the ground and rot in the soil.
"This is potentially endangering plant life around it not only just the plant life animals walk on the soil eat grass that grows on the soil and in some cases can eat plastics and paper that are left behind and this can damage animals and or even humans which also on a massive scale can interrupt a food chain. Take the smallest thing on the food chain, for example. If that species becomes extinct the next animal becomes extinct because they run out of their primary food source then the next animal becomes extinct then the next and the next until eventually humans become extinct and this is only on a large scale however fireworks can also corrupt land and infect it with whatever harmful chemicals that are used in fireworks particularly charcoal".
All of this information can be found on fireworks sciences website environmental issues if you want to learn more.
We can celebrate without damaging the environment.
We all know we can't turn back and undo the damage we've done and we've all been a part of it simply by our existence, but it seems the longer that we survive the stupider we get and our politicians aren't doing a thing about it, they're just saying a bunch of words that add up to nothing. They make abortion illegal, yet they aren't considering the fact that without nature thriving we as humans will not thrive, it just all seems a little backwards if you ask me. They read from a script that someone else handed to them and if they don't go along with their colleagues then they will not get the votes because as we all know votes are manipulated.
In June of 2022 the state fire marshal's office urged fireworks safety ahead of the July 4th holiday according to the tennessee.gov department of commerce and insurance.
In 2021 fireworks caused over $1 million in damages and it goes further to say as volunteer state residents prepare to celebrate the upcoming 4th of July holiday, the Tennessee state fire marshal's office urges Tennessee and to consider the risk to their personal safety and your property and your finances that can arise from fireworks related mishaps".
"Consumer fireworks pose a hazard to Tennesseans' health and safety record show 175 total fires were started in 2021 by fireworks causing 1.23 million in direct property damage in Tennessee. Aside from causing injuries fires or damage caused by fireworks in a Tennessee municipality that bands fireworks may not be covered by traditional homeowners or renters insurance policy which puts the financial burden of making repairs solely on the shoulders of consumers, so they remind Tennesseans to not risk starting a fire or injuring themselves therefore adding to the burdens of our hard working emergency and medical personnel, said State Fire Marshal Carter Lawrence. Celebrate the holiday safely by thinking of others and not pursuing risky behavior that can lead to an injury or death".
It definitely poses a risk to property that is costly, but let's also start discussing what fireworks do to the environment.
We should not have to be told that children under a certain age should not light a firework or that you don't point fireworks at another person or that you don't relight a firework. What we should be told and informed on is how fireworks damage our air and water, wildlife and our soil.
I think we all should be thankful and grateful for our independence and most certainly should celebrate it, when there are others that only enjoy it in their dreams. We have so much to celebrate as Americans but we can do better on how we celebrate it.
Without nature thriving, then what is the point?
Our local leaders need to start by protecting nature in a way that has never been done before in history and then that will be a legacy worth leaving.
I know that we can all do better in how we live and be more aware of some of the things that we enjoy and how it damages nature. We have to choose our battles not all can be fought let alone won but this battle we will certainly fight against ourselves.
There was a time that I enjoyed fireworks but now that I know how they damage the environment I no longer participate in them. Learning and listening is knowledge and then applying what you have learned.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July.
Tonya McBryar