Fireworks… the Joey, danger and birds tragedy.

As we are at the door step of 2021, we are working to avoid more casualties and more consequences for children from fireworks, explosives and hostile deaths for birds fleeing explosions and gases.

Families are bound by their sensitive children to avoid being exposed to psychological crises because of the noises of the explosives because it terrorize them, let the celebrations be away from accidents and pain.

Fireworks used all over the world in different celebrations events. These celebrations are of the interest of millions of people around the world. The record of the largest number of fireworks launched concurrently during a single presentation goes back to the Church of Christ, Iglesia Ni Cristo in Manila the capital of the Philippines.

During the New Year celebrations in 2016, where 810,904 fireworks were launched, and the show lasted around an hour.

The previous record belong to a Norwegian company that launched 540.382 fireworks on 29 November 2014 in celebration of 200 years of The Norwegian Constitution.

This exceeded the previous number in Dubai where 47,960 fireworks were fired.

In 2018, RAS EL KHAIMA in the United Arab Emirates, hold the first place in the world, with two record numbers:

1-  Using 173 Drones to launch the fireworks at the same time.

2-  The longest fireworks stream, with an extension of 3788.86 meters.

The first to invent the fireworks are the ancient Chinese people in the seventh century, and their use of it was widespread, they believed that they benefited in the fear and expulsion of evil spirits. The fireworks were still one of the prime celebration in the Chinese New Year or the Moon Festival.

The invention of fireworks was the result of the natural invention of the black powder, which is one of the four great inventions from ancient China. China is currently the world's largest manufactures and source of fireworks.

The nutrient of the fireworks relies on

1-   Ignition and issuing light.

2-   Sound and music, all of which are other phenomena necessary to produce the scene in fun colours.

The light consists of electrical and magnetic rays, it is transmitted with a specific frequency, like waves that spread as vibrations under an electromagnetic field and the human eye can capture electromagnetic rays with a range between 380 nm (this is in line with the purple colour) and 780 nm and this is in line with the ( red colour).

Middle wave lengths as the rainbow colours range i.e. blue, green, yellow and orange. The white colour produces as a result of the simultaneous issuance of the multiple wave tall of the light.

As for other rays with the wave lengths below 380 nano-metres, called ultraviolet radiation.

Finally, the radios with wavelengths higher than 780 nano-metres called infrared.

Fireworks are a type of low-explosive fire shells used because of their aesthetic for recreation and entertainment purposes, often to celebrate different holidays and events in a firework show, especially in New Year's celebrations.

There are several forms and combinations of fireworks that guarantee access to the essential elements for the show, the most important of which is lighting, colour, form, smoke and noise, in addition to the sparks. Fireworks are made from a combination of chemical substances that, when they ignite, they are given many colours.

The degree and diversity of these colours are controlled according to the type of chemicals used so that they are designed to give flames and sparks in specific colours including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and silver.

The fireworks differ from explosives in their purpose, since the fireworks are explosives that cause coloured lights while the explosives issuing sounds and do not make noticeable lights.

The improper use of fireworks was classified as a serious risk for persons and property there is a risk of burns and injuries for individuals who launches them and their surrounding persons, especially the sensitive eye area. The risk of fires is also relatively high, especially when fireworks fall near flammable materials, for this reason, the use of fireworks is not fully permitted to launch.

There are legal controls restricting use to firework performances, which, according to the law of most states, are only launched by professionals to operate, and it is important to mention that the consumer samples sold in publicly available stores have a lesser risk because it has less explosive material in order to reduce the potential risk of injury, but despite the beauty of the fireworks and the pleasure they provide, it has caused many disasters in the world. 

1- Fireworks depot on 13 May 2000 at 13:00 GMT, in the eastern Dutch city of Enschede. A fire led to an enormous explosion which killed 23 people including four firefighters, and injured nearly 1,000. A total of 400 homes were destroyed and 1,500 buildings damaged.

2-Temple of KULAM in India:

A fire that erupted on 10 April 2016 in a Temple in the city of Kola, Kirala State, India. The impact of the fall of a fireworks on a warehouse where a range of fireworks was stored, which resulted in the speeding of more than 100 people and the injury of more than 350 people.

3- The St. Pablito Fireworks market in Mexico

The St. Pablito firework store exploded in the town of Tultepec, north of the Mexican capital Mexico City, killing 31 people and injuring 70 people.

The remnants of the fireworks to contaminate the environment, the impact of the contamination caused by the fireworks varies depending on the composition. It may have direct contact with the surrounding environment which sometimes causes danger.

The fireworks is a reason to raise the Perchlorate in lakes. One of the studies by the Adonsi hospital on the Perchlorate concentration ratio in a lake in Oklahoma city, before and after Fireworks , it rises about 24 to 1028 than the normal limit after 14 hours, this matter prompted the US Environmental Protection Service Agency to conduct studies to determine the impact of the Perchlorate on the environment and water.

The State of California has developed local-level guidance on the use of the Perchlorate. The tailing can also contain heavy metal residues and some poisonous compounds. In addition, the smoke effect will contaminate the air, which may cause health complications for people with Asthma.Fireworks also cause a large amount of waste each year. These wastes are mainly in the form of cardboard and papers with the necessary unburned chemicals and heavy metals in addition to plastics which are used in some fireworks products such as explosives.

After the fireworks stops, the remains are spread everywhere. It is important that all fireworks' remnants be removed quickly and in this way we prevent harmful substances to be absorbed by the soil, surface water, plastics and fireworks remains that are part of the remaining waste.

It is worth mentioning that the ashes resulting from the combustion process damage the skin and the eye if a child is directly exposed to it, where the eye is burnt and the eye lids may shattered, or the entry of a strange objects into the eye or the separation of the eye retina in worse cases which may lead to a total loss of the eye.

The fireworks are also a cause of chemical and physical contamination, and each one is more dangerous than the other. The smell emitted from the combustion of these fireworks games result in many serious damage.It is also important to mention that the sounds of the fireworks explosion and the bright colours that lead to the panic of local and wild birds, which leads them to continue to fly in the air, motivated by fear and stress and may lead to death.

To make models of stars in different colours for the fireworks, usually manufacturers use chemical compounds that give different colours when they burn.The most popular fireworks pack, is the European type or Japanese type, the European package consists of black powder and an temporary ignition device in addition to 30 small bags full of a flammable mixture called the Stars, the way the stars are organised reflect how it will ignite accordingly, it may show like ornamental herbs shape, palm trees branches shape, chestnut thorns and the Eucalyptus trees.

The Japanese package consists of black powder stacked at the base, but the order of the stars inside are distributed simultaneously.

Experts indicate that the release of some 10 types of fireworks generates about 5 micro grams of Carbon Dioxide in the cubic metre of air.

According to a 2013 United Nations report entitled Climate Pollution, fireworks are other major factors contributing to air pollution and increase global warming rates.

Although these games cost the state huge and unproductive sums. These are some models during the year:

1- England, 425,000,000 $

2- Brazil, 60,000,000 $

3- France, 45,000,000 $

4- Hun Kong 18,000,000 $

5- United Arab Emirates 500,000,000 $

6- United States of America $240,000,000 $

In Christmas 2019 / 2020 in the Netherlands, and as reported in the Operations Chamber of the Fire Service and Police, several large incidents or residential fires occurred on New Year's Eve.

In Arnhem, a child and his father died in a fire in an apartment because of the heavy fog. In a number of areas, it has been decided to appoint fire brigade staff in order to be able to move quickly, safely and provide a perfect care.

The result of the smoke and fog spread by the fireworks explosives is that someone died in a chain clash on the highway near Acrom and injured 19 others.

The Bovenkarspel mill was burned, and a fire occurred in two nineteenth-century mills at a factory in Latrop Briclinicamp.

In Siris, the fire brigade prevented fire expansion and a mill was kept. In Den Bush a part of the market was closed due to a gas leaks in the vicinity of the municipality building, it may have been leakage after the fireworks in a well.

The number of various casualties the same night was 4358, of which 39 were classified as serious, the result was an increase of 136 injuries from the previous year 2019/2018.

In the table bellow, details of incidents by area of occurrence

Because of these risks, many countries of the world put in place controls on the use of fireworks, which differ from country to country in some detail, However, in its entirety, taking into account verification that meets the conditions of safety, and it is prohibited in the American state of New Jersey.

Some United States federal laws also provide that the use of certain types of fireworks without a licence is a criminal offence punishable by law with imprisonment of up to five years.

In China, the Government has prevented the fireworks from being fired in the capital of Beijing and therefore, after identifying the dangers caused by the fireworks, we propose:

1-  Legislation absolutely obliging such games to commit to launches in predetermined areas,

2-  All fireworks must carry a slogan to consumers that means that production meets safety and environmental requirements.

3-  Control over the storage of fireworks by official authorities so that unused quantities must be stored in a cold and dry location.

4-  Visual, audio and written media explains to the society about the dangers and disadvantages of the use of fireworks, particularly through television programmes, which must intensify the risks and consequences of the use of these games and do meetings with the relevant stakeholders to raise awareness among citizens about this.

5-  Work on production of fireworks shells with substances that are less toxic to chemical compounds.

Dr. Majid khalil

Former Vice-President of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) / Montreal /Canada