NEW
YORK, Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2023,
roughly 60,000 firework shells exploded above Manhattan's East River as part of Macy's
Fourth of July show. The resulting air pollutant levels were many
times higher in the hours after the display than those seen when
smoke from a Canadian wildfire had blanketed the area a month
before.
This is according to the results of a new study, led by
researchers at NYU Langone Health, which measured air quality just
before and after the Independence Day event, one of the largest in
the United States. Tiny particles
of hazardous metals and organic compounds peaked at 3,000
micrograms per cubic meter at an air sampling site near the show
and topped 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter at two other nearby
locations. By comparison, New York
City's average daily fine-particle concentration is 15
micrograms per cubic meter and reached 460 micrograms per cubic
meter from the wildfire smoke in June
2023.
The team also found that air quality took several hours to
return to baseline levels for most sampling sites, with those
closest to the display, such as in Midtown Manhattan, taking as
long as 12 hours.
In addition to fine-particle air pollutant increases, water
samples collected from the East River had more than double the
levels of metals sometimes used to give fireworks their vibrant
colors, such as lead, nickel, and antimony, than before the
celebration. Notably, the researchers had shown in earlier
experiments using rodents and human tissue that lung exposure to
such emissions can lead to oxidation, a chemical process in the
body that may damage or even kill cells if left unchecked.
"Our findings suggest that major firework displays can create a
temporary spike in air pollution that may pose a health risk to
both humans and the environment," said study lead author
Terry Gordon, PhD, a professor in
the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
In a 2020 study by the same team, the authors analyzed 14 years'
worth of air quality samples taken at dozens of sites across
the United States by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They found that levels of
toxic metals were higher in samples collected around Independence
Day and New Year's Eve than at any other time of the year. Past
research from other experts has also assessed pollution from
firework displays in other countries and has connected such
exposure to lung problems such as asthma, pneumonia, and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, says Gordon. Gordon is also a member
of the department's Center for the Investigation of Environmental
Hazards and the Division of Environmental Medicine.
The new study, publishing online Aug.
6 in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental
Epidemiology, takes a more comprehensive look at how firework
pollution travels and lingers after the initial event, the authors
say.
For the research, the team collected air quality samples using
real-time monitors at four residential sites along the East River
near the display launch site in Manhattan and in Long Island City in Queens. To confirm the monitors' findings, the
investigators analyzed hourly air-quality data from both EPA
monitors within a 6-mile radius of the show's launch sites and a
network of low-cost particle monitors set up less than a mile
away.
Assessing data from EPA monitoring sites in other major cities,
the team also documented increases in pollutant levels in
Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, which like New York, showed elevated pollutant levels
that lasted between three and 12 hours before returning to
baseline.
"While these findings may seem alarming, firework shows can
still be enjoyed," said study senior author Antonio Saporito, BA, a doctoral student at NYU
Grossman School of Medicine. "Wearing an N-95 or KN95 mask is a
good way to avoid inhaling smoke when standing near a display,
especially for children and for those with preexisting heart and
lung problems."
Saporito says that the 24-hour average of airborne particles
estimated in the study was 25 micrograms per cubic meter, which
falls within the EPA's health guidelines, although it does surpass
those set by the World Health Organization. He adds that the
authors did not take into account local, unregulated firework
exhibitions that could have also contributed to environmental
pollution.
Next, the team plans to repeat their investigation by analyzing
data collected during Macy's 2024 Fourth of July celebration, which
was launched over the Hudson River on Manhattan's West Side, and examine potential
health effects tied to such events.
Study funding was provided by NYU Langone.
In addition to Gordon and Saporito, other NYU Langone
investigators involved in the study are David Luglio, PhD; Beck Kim, BS; Tri Huynh, BS; Rahanna
Khan, MS; Amna Raja, MS;
Kristin Terez, MS; Nicole Camacho-Rivera, MS; Rachel Gordon, BA; Julie
Gardella, BA; Maria
Katsigeorgis, MS; Rodney
Graham, BA; Thomas Kluz, BS;
and Max Costa, PhD.
Media Inquiries:
Shira Polan
Phone: 212-404-4279
shira.polan@nyulangone.org
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SOURCE NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone
Health