Every Fourth of July, revelers shoot millions of fireworks up into the sky, releasing smoke and fumes into the atmosphere.   But what is the impact of all the explosions?

NOAA has released a new study that looks at the increase in particulate emissions during July 4 celebrations and shows that the fireworks displays temporarily increase particulate pollution by an average of 42 percent over the normal range.  The Capital Weather Gang blog has a good posting on this study here.

If you are susceptible to asthma or other lung conditions that can be affected by dirty air, you may want to stay away from fireworks displays or at least stay upwind of them.  Fortunately, the increase lasts for only a few hours so no significant long-term effects are likely (except maybe for those who set them off for a living!).

Source: NOAA
Source: NOAA

If you are curious about where the fireworks get their distinct colors, check out this article at EarthSky.