The Lake George Association has recently completed a study, which I have posted in its entirety here, which concludes that fireworks do not harm the environment but more study is needed.
This is something that I’ve always wondered about. I’ve excerpted certain paragraphs below but I recommend you read the entire report. It’s quite interesting.
In more recent years, with increasing interest in new age contaminants, there have been a few studies on perchlorate, which is used as a propellant in fireworks. While most of it combusts, all
of it does not, resulting in perchlorate falling down on the land and water. There are health and environmental concerns associated with perchlorate contamination, many of which are still not well understood. Perchlorate is absorbed by the thyroid gland in place of iodine, which can interfere with the production of thyroid hormone, which is essential to metabolism and mental development.Antimony (Sb) and Barium (Ba) are two common chemical components of fireworks. Antimony is a metal used to create firework glitter effects. Barium is used to create green colors in fireworks. It is also used to stabilize other volatile elements of the fireworks. At increased concentrations, antimony has been shown to cause heart problems and stomach ulcers in humans. In small mammals, antimony has been shown to cause lung, heart, liver and kidney damage and eventually death. Water soluble forms of barium have been linked to increased blood pressure, kidney and heart damage, and breathing difficulties in humans. Barium also bioaccumulates in fish and other aquatic organisms.
Due to concern over the years about the effects of fireworks on Lake George, and lack of available scientific data, we collected some initial samples this past summer. Perchlorate, barium, and antimony, all common components of fireworks, were measured in the water. Perchlorate was also measured in sediment samples. Our samples did not find higher amounts of these pollutants in response to fireworks events held in Lake George Village throughout the summer. Our results showed no change in perchlorate, with perchlorate levels less then 0.002mg/L for all tests, before and after firework events. We also did not find a change in antimony levels, and while barium levels slightly fluctuated, the results were also not significant. We also found perchlorate levels of less than 0.002 mg/L in the sediment samples from both locations, both near the fireworks and far away from any known fireworks displays.
However, we acknowledge that these results are only very preliminary. Other studies elsewhere have found changes in perchlorate levels associated with fireworks. These studies were able to measure smaller amounts of perchlorate thanwe were able to in this study. There are also many other contaminants associated with fireworks that we did notmeasure. Others may wish to pursue further studies on this matter, and our findings are available for those purposes.
Perchlorate-free fireworks are available for use, however they cost more than traditionalfireworks. Since perchlorate has implications for human health, a switch to perchlorate-free fireworks for fireworks used over Lake George might want to be considered. Our initial findings did not find detectable perchlorate levels in the water attributable to fireworks, so they do not necessarily support the need of this additional expense at this time. However, since this study was by no means comprehensive, we can not know for certain if there is need for a concern over perchlorate or not, and can only weigh our options based on the knowledge we have available to us. This study is just one step in adding to that knowledge base. It still might be a prudent idea to further investigate the costs associated with using perchlorate-free fireworks.
What does seem to make sense to move forward with at this time is a way to track the fireworks displays that occur over Lake George every year, so that we can have a better idea of the number and locations of these events. A simple registration form could be required by licensed fireworks display companies hired to produce a show anywhere in the Lake George watershed. The name of the company, date, time, location, and information on the amount and type of materials used in the show would be very useful information to have. This does not have to be a burden or expense on the fireworks companies, just a simple registration form so that we know what is going off in the air over the lake, and potentially falling into it. When we met with Jeff Alonzo from Alonzo fireworks he agreed that such a registration seemed reasonable
and said he had no objection to it. The LGA is in no way against fireworks displays over Lake George. We know that everyone enjoys a good fireworks show. However, if future scientific inquiries determine that there is cause for concern, as stewards of Lake George, we feel that the responsible thing to do is to address the matter and work with our local community in finding a solution.
I’ve read that back in the early 1900’s there were fireworks in Huletts every week during the summer.