Poor air quality due to fireworks

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) of El Salvador, issued its weekly report on air quality in San Salvador, for the period from December 21 to 27, 2020. The data collected by the Universidad Don Bosco (UDB) stations ) and the Government Center (CGOB), resulted in a concentration of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5), registered in the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (AMSS).

During all the days analyzed, with the exception of the 24th, the air quality ranged between good and satisfactory. However, it was not until 10 pm on Thursday that a considerable increase was noticed, mainly due to the burning of gunpowder on Christmas Eve.

The 2.5 micrometer diameter measurement is 20 times smaller than human hair and easy to enter human lungs. These particles can cause respiratory damage, and even poisoning, since they are made of chemical material.

The eternal problem of gunpowder

Fireworks is already an environmental problem in Central American countries. Photo: Matteo Vistascco / Unsplash

In El Salvador, as in the rest of Central America, the end of the year parties are synonymous with pyrotechnics, especially around midnight, when the arrival of Christmas and the New Year is celebrated. Although it is a tradition of many decades, the increasing demand for these products has already become a major environmental problem.

Owners of domestic pets have used social media to ask for cats and dogs, who suffer nervous problems as a result of gunpowder, but they are not the only ones. In urban centers, wildlife, such as owls, snakes, bats and other small mammals, hunt at night, so the shrill noise of fireworks, as well as excess light, negatively impacts their daily habits.

Also, a person can be injured on the inside just by closely breathing the smoke that occurs from the burning of gunpowder. As for external burns, experts specify that they can occur not only in the extremities, but also in the retina and cornea and cause people to go blind or with serious vision problems.