Improving Fireworks

This summer, people across the U.S. will celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks displays. The stunning light shows wow viewers, but the smoke and noise they create can be harmful to people and the environment. Thankfully, recent innovations could help make fireworks safer and quieter—but just as spectacular.

This summer, people across the U.S. will celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks. The stunning light shows wow viewers. But they also create smoke and noise that can harm people and the environment. Now there’s good news. Scientists are helping make fireworks displays safer and quieter—but just as spectacular.

Fireworks consist of shells packed with marble-sized pellets that contain different compounds—substances made up of at least two different elements. When heated, these compounds burn with different colored flames.

“In a burning firework, strontium [Sr] and chlorine [Cl] atoms combine and yield an intense red light,” says Jesse J. Sabatini, a chemist at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Maryland. But red fireworks can also produce small amounts of cancer-causing chemicals that contain chlorine.

Sabatini is developing chlorine-free signal flares for the Army. He and his colleagues have found a way to replace chlorine compounds in the red flares with safer substances while still keeping the flash’s brilliant red hue. The same idea could be applied to red fireworks.

Fireworks are packed with marble-sized pellets. The pellets contain different compounds—substances made up of at least two elements. These compounds burn to make colored flames.

“In a burning firework, strontium [Sr] and chlorine [Cl] atoms combine and yield an intense red light,” says Jesse J. Sabatini. He’s a chemist at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Maryland. But red fireworks can also produce small amounts of chemicals that contain chlorine. These chemicals can cause cancer.

Sabatini is developing chlorine-free signal flares for the Army. He and his co-workers have found a way to replace chlorine compounds in the red flares with safer substances. But the flash still keeps its bright red color. The same idea could be used in red fireworks.

Harmful chemicals aren’t the only dangers posed by fireworks. Their loud explosions can frighten wildlife and damage people's hearing.

A firework’s bang occurs when heated chemicals expand and burst from pellets in midair. But pyrotechnicians, or explosives experts, are working on quieter fireworks that use slow-burning pellets instead of explosive ones.

“Our goal is to make fireworks that are better for the environment without changing how great the show is,” says Eric Johnson, a pyrotechnician and chemical engineer who works with Sabatini.

Harmful chemicals aren’t the only dangers. Another is loud explosions. The noise can scare wildlife and damage people’s hearing.

A firework’s bang happens when chemicals are heated. They expand and burst from pellets in midair. But pyrotechnicians, or explosives experts, are working on quieter fireworks. These use pellets that burn slowly instead of exploding.

Eric Johnson is a pyrotechnician and chemical engineer who works with Sabatini. “Our goal is to make fireworks that are better for the environment without changing how great the show is,” he says.