Sparklers contain toxic chemicals

Stay away from firecrackers this holiday season if you know what’s good for you.

Not only can they cause fire, they also contribute to pollution and contain ingredients that are bad for one’s health.

This was the warning aired yesterday by environmental watchdog EcoWaste Coalition which said that tests it conducted on 11 types of fireworks bought in Divisoria, Manila, showed that these contain toxic metals like arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese and zinc.

It added that most of the firecrackers it bought contained three to six kinds of these dangerous ingredients mixed with charcoal, sulfur, potassium or sodium nitrate.

Based on tests EcoWaste conducted using the X-ray Fluorescence analyzer, the most toxic among the fireworks tested were the sparklers sold at P20 per box. These were found to contain barium at 25,000 parts per million (ppm); 2,935 ppm of zinc; 1,874 ppm of manganese; 807 ppm of chromium and 17 ppm of arsenic.

Next was the so-called “Pili Cracker” selling at P25 per pack which had 5,126 ppm of lead and 1,492 ppm of copper. In third place was the “Christmas tree” which registered 195 ppm of Cadmium.

“We are very concerned about the health effects of these crackers and sparklers,  many of which are held by hand or lighted near users who directly breathe [in] the toxic fumes,” said Aileen Lucero, Eco-Waste’s “Iwas PapuToxic” campaigner.

“In fact, the chemical smog [caused by fireworks] can persist for hours if not days after the revelry, turning the atmosphere into a virtual gas chamber.  This is especially hazardous for infants and children, pregnant women and people suffering from chronic asthma,” she added.