Here comes the grand celebration time for the most awaited Indian festival of Diwali or Deepavali. Bursting firecrackers on this festival has become a prominent sign of festivity for some decades. Although this festival is considered a very traditional celebration of some mythological event believed to be dated some 5,000 years back, the inclusion of firecrackers is fairly recent. Yet, its popularity is at its peak. Hundreds of thousands of tons of firecrackers are turned into smoke and noise in a single day. Time and again, various government authorities have tried to minimize the adverse impact of it by putting on several restrictions through framing various regulations but without much success. People are just crazy to convert their cash into ash for a momentary pleasure.

Fortunately, a few days back, Supreme Court of India put a blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers in New Delhi & NCR region. But its decision is too late and too little to undo the damage already done. Since the decision is only to put a ban on sale, it doesn’t stop people to burst firecrackers and it’s still legal to do that. So people have already bought about 5,100,000 kg of last year’s stock and 10,000,000 kg of new stock was already smuggled in and sold. So there is no chance of having a smoke-free Diwali this time too.

An average person is normally unaware of the dangers and ramifications of their actions and they think they are using their own money to derive joy and pleasure by bursting crackers. But we need to know our social and moral responsibilities and the harm this action brings unto entire planet. Bursting firecrackers is equivalent to contributing in a slow but certain mass murder.
Here are some of the reasons why bursting firecrackers is stupidity:

Atmospheric Poisoning

• Firecrackers release a large amount of very tiny toxic particle called SPM. These enter our lungs and damages the respiratory system.
• Firecrackers contain Sulphur compounds, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals and harmful fumes of gases such as Sulphur dioxide, ozone etc,.
• When ignited, firecrackers produce the vibrant colours alon with the emission of toxic gases because of the elements like Copper, Cadmium, Sulphur, Aluminium and Barium.
• The green light produced in fireworks displays comes from radioactive and poisonous Barium. The blue colour produced from copper compounds is linked to cancer.
• Harmful gases like oxides of Sulphur and Nitrous Oxide stay in the atmosphere for prolonged time.
  These toxic gases may even cause acid rain.
• carcinogenic Sulphur compounds and airborne arsenic effect.
• Creates high risk and uneasy situation for asthmatic patients, cardiac patients and people with chronic bronchitis.
• Smog thus created in the atmosphere creates breathing trouble along with reducing the visibility, which may in turn result in road accidents.
  

  Noise Pollution

  
  
• Noise from crackers can go beyond 140 decibels. The safe limit for humans is only 85 decibels. So it may result in loss in hearing ability and in some cases permanent deafening too.
• Loud noise adversely affects the pregnant women and can cause extreme stress levels. It can lead to tinnitus which can last as long as 24 hours.
• It may adversely impact the development of the baby in womb.
• Many species of birds and animals are shocked from this sudden noise and disturbance. The noise is beyond their tolerance limits for many species and can lead them in trauma.
• Shocking noises are also the cause behind several fatal and non-fatal accidents.
• Noise also interferes in the right to peaceful sleep, elderly people, studies of students, indoor patients in hospitals, sick and ill people taking their rest at home, etc.
  

  Fire & Other Accidents And Emergencies:

  
  
• The incidents of fire increases drastically in these days taking many lives and leaving many with serious injuries.
• Firecracker factories and shops & markets selling these dangerous stock are very vulnerable to fire as just a spark can engulf the whole establishment in no time. Many markets are completely glutted because of these firecrackers.
• Accidental mishandling of crackers, mis-firing of crackers like rockets, carelessness etc. increases the no. of incidences on Diwali night. I remember when my brother was a resident doctor, he used to tell me that he don’t find any opportunity to take a sleep for several days on a stretch around Diwali.
• Firemen are also under pressure due to limited infrastructure to handle the sudden spike in fire cases. Everyone needs to over-work to save lives and still many die.
  

  Child Labour & Exploitation

  
  
• Today firecracker industry is facing fierce competition from their Chinese counterparts. So they employ unethical techniques to produce firecrackers at low cost. They employ unde-rage children at a very low wages and make them over-work in a dangerous environment without proper safety equipments.
  

  Challenge to PM’s Clean India Movement

  
  
• When you wake up next morning, you find heaps and heaps of residual matter scattered everywhere across the city.
• Most part of firecrackers and their packing is non-biodegradable.
• Toxic perchlorate particles from crackers seeps through the soil into the underground water and surface water resources making them unfit to drink.
  

  Adverse Affect On Our Health

  
  
• As described above, smoke and smog from crackers is dangerous for asthmatic patients and can also adversely impact the respiratory tract of young children.
• SPM creates throat, nose and eye related problems which may develop into some serious disorder.
• Crackers severely effects people with heart, respiratory or nervous system disorders
• Can aggravate symptoms like colds, allergies or coughs and can also cause congestion of the throat and chest.

These are just some of the adverse effects of bursting crackers for fun. They are very expensive and unviable source of entertainment. We need to take into account the entire unaccounted cost of damage they are making. We need to seriously re-consider if our momentary fun and pleasure really worth it?

Fortunately when I was just a young student, a student campaign against the prevailing caste-based reservation system called all the students to go for a Dark Diwali celebration that year ….i.e. without bursting any firecrackers. I too had participated in it. And it was a blessing in disguise. Since then, I never purchased any firecracker for Diwali or for any other day or event. I feel myself at peace by not making any personal contribution in such a stupidity. How about you? Do you love firecrackers?

References:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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