No Firecrackers

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It is a festival of joy, celebrated with great fervor all over the country. It is also a very noisy festival that leaves behind a great deal of garbage and causes noise pollution. Diwali is celebrated in different ways all over the country but crackers are a constant.

? Goa may not match the mad fervor of Delhi or Mumbai when it comes to bursting crackers but yes, there are fans in Goa too of the bullet bomb, the baby rocket, the parachute rocket and yes the sparklers to name just a few. The government has now decided to restrict the bursting of crackers during hours from November 14 to November 16. This is surprising given that Goa has not devised an SOP for Diwali till date.

? Fireworks cause extensive air pollution in a short amount of time, leaving metal particles, dangerous toxins, harmful chemicals and smoke in the air for hours and days. Some of the toxins never fully decompose or disintegrate, but rather hang around in the environment, poisoning all they come into contact with. Exposure to fine particles, like those found in smoke and haze, is linked to negative health implications, such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, asthma attacks and even heart attacks, according to the EPA. People at greatest risk for problems are those with heart or lung disease, older adults and children.

Copper: Causes irritation in the respiratory tract.
Cadmium: Reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of blood, leading to anaemia.
Lead: Lead in the body has a harmful effect on the nervous system.
Magnesium: Magnesium fumes cause a condition known as metal fume fever.
Zinc: Causes metal fume fever and also induces vomiting.
Sodium: Sodium is a highly reactive element and combines with moisture to cause burns.