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.
everyone is racist!
Well....
How about the pollution effects of sustained gunfire?
Would THAT satisfy them?
They don’t care about pollution. This is an excuse to do away with Independence Day, the national holiday of the country they hate.
BTW, the pollution goes right back down after the fireworks, so nature cleans up the pollution.
These insane liberal magazines/politicians/eviro wacko groups and individuals will say or do anything and everything anti American that they can get away with.
Made with explosives from china.. No doubt..
Just so its not from the middle east
Be safe with your ‘works!
How did we ever survive this horrible crime against humanity?
/s (man the /s is so over the top sometimes...)
That is the money quote. Plus, the EPA standard on particulates safety at that level is arbitrary and not based on science either. Go stand next to a forest during pollination and measure that natural event for fine particulate matter.
This dog has more sense and patriotism than this propaganda spokes-weasel.
The Roman Candle Dog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2Dk_GE29pg
I glanced quickly, refuse to read in detail a hairdresser website, but did they neglect to tie in Glubull Warming?
That’s it!
Yeah the left took over and controls everything.
But we got to act like we were the smartest people in the room.
So we won. :)
/sarc(??????)
Agreed. Sigh.
Seidel needs to go try to replicate his study in Great Britain on July 4.
Modifying your comment just a little:
We all really need to stay inside and watch PC/BS 24/7 all weekend.
Salon/Saloon. All drunk on their own witticisms!
The Weather Channel blamed fires in Canada for the current pollutants.
However since the Fourth of July hasn’t arrived yet, how can Fireworks Spectaculars CAUSING (present tense, as in the present, not next Friday!) huge spikes in Dangerous Air Pollution>
No one has to defend this. Just say talk to China and get back to me.
And ignore them.
This is Alansky side issues to take up time.
“not to put a damper on celebrations of America’s independence”
Absolute nonsense, it is yet another anti American shot from the greens. We must always go around in sackcloth and ashes for the crime of being the root of all pollution, racism, capitalism and religious bigotry.
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