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FIREWORKS

Exposure to the heavy metals and the other toxic chemicals used in fireworks has an unknown effect on most people. For those with asthma or other substance  sensitivity the poisonous materials and particle-laden smoke may well aggravate existing health problems. It is thought that the gases produced could well contribute to acid rain which can damage vegetation.

Fireworks also leave behind solid debris which can include Perchlorate salts which move rapidly in groundwater. Even in low concentrations in drinking water, perchlorate ions are known to inhibit the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland.

Some anglers have reported that residues harm fish and other water-life. Alongside this research studies show that firework explosions do have an adverse effect on wild, as well as domestic, animals. ‘The noise causes a great amount of fear, stress and anxiety amongst these creatures’. Other documented effects include ‘birds and other small mammals abandoning their nests leaving their defenceless babies behind. Their panic can sometimes cause so much disorientation that they cannot locate their nests and their offspring die’.

Sources - West Sound Wildlife Shelter and Wikipedia. `The image is based on a series of photographs taken by Eliza Phillips