Oh, wait! That might be racist!
Posted on 06/30/2015 1:32:13 PM PDT by drewh
The most important lesson you learn on the environment beat is that nearly everything we humans do has consequences, oftentimes dangerous ones. And according to a new study from scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that includes celebrating our nation’s independence with fireworks displays, which cause levels of harmful particle pollution to spike significantly each July 4th.
The researchers are pretty confident about this one: they used observations taken from 315 air quality monitoring sites around the U.S. between 1999 and 2013. Without fail, they found that from around 9 to 10 p.m. each Independence Day, concentrations of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, surged, teetering on the edge of the upper limit of what the EPA considers to be safe (and in some locations, wildly surpassing it). Things got back to normal by around noon the following day, they found, but for 24 hours beginning around 8 p.m., PM2.5 levels were 42 percent higher than usual:
Rise in fine particulates from 8 p.m. on July 4 in red as compared to the days preceding and after July 4, averaged over the entire country for multiple years. Red represents the 24-hour period starting at 8 p.m. on July 4 and blue represents the days prior to and after this period (NOAA)
“We chose the holiday, not to put a damper on celebrations of America’s independence, but because it is the best way to do a nationwide study of the effects of fireworks on air quality,” said Dian Seidel, a senior scientist at NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory in College Park, Maryland and the study’s lead author. “These results will help improve air quality predictions, which currently don’t account for fireworks as a source of air pollution.”
Nice try, Seidel. I learned a very important lesson last year, which is just because there is a case to made for not setting off fireworks doesn’t mean people are going to be receptive to the idea, and they’ll probably send you angry emails that, just saying, are very much not in the holiday spirit. So to all those who say a little potential “premature death and adverse cardiovascular [and respiratory] effects“ is a small price to pay for celebrating America, I say, power to you. For those “who may be particularly sensitive to the effects of fine particulate matter,” Seidel recommends remaining indoors.
Sigh...
...if only this were satire...
Liar! You could have used New Year's Eve.
After 5,000 years of celebrating the 4th, it will equal one day of a volcanic eruption. It is the hot air and CO coming out of lefties that is causing - well you name it!
“...new study from scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...”
Hinges totally on the definition of “scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration” .... from past performance there are none there, just PC hacks.
I thought it was the onion at first...
So far, I have not seen any indication of altered lifestyles.
That European conference last year had more private jets than they had room for.
Did you see the pics of all the green lush lawns of Hollywood's Rich & Famous while in a major drought.
Perhaps instead of fireworks, we can all gather and look at the sky. No music, because they could disturb native wildlife. Then, when the allotted time has passed for our silent meditation to Gaia, we can “jazz hands” instead of clap, and all go home in our hybrid cars or on bicycles.
Kumbaya.
we really all need to stay inside and watch PBS 24/7 all weekend
They must love Chinese New Year...
I hate to give salon a hit, but I gotta go check out the comment section!
Too cold for their lazy asses.............
Even if we burned every US flag in a greenhouse-gas-free incinerator, and shipped every last firework back to China, these God-hating, America-hating Communists would not be satisfied.
Even if we burned every US flag in a greenhouse-gas-free incinerator, and shipped every last firework back to China, these God-hating, America-hating Communists would not be satisfied.
Well, your suggestion would make our cat much happier! He has been a nervous wreck the past few days, hearing fireworks going off. I don’t think he was afraid like this, last year.
Only 3 comments so far, all blasting saloon and the report!
Oh, wait! That might be racist!
Translation: "We chose the holiday to prove that you so-called patriots are all really planet-killing monsters." It may come as a surprise to the activists involved, but the U.S. did not invent fireworks nor are our shows even close to the biggest on the planet.
Change the national anthem to the theme from the Twilight Zone.
Maybe it’s not fireworks he fears.
Maybe it’s overly invasive government that has him out of sorts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.