Effects Of Firecrackers On Your Health

Dr. Varinder Singh Chandhok

DBCM (AM) General Physician · Alternative Medicine ·

5 Shockingly Deadly Effects Of Firecrackers On Your Health

Think Diwali and you can’t help but think of firecrackers. The festival of lights is synonymous with the bursting of firecrackers all night long. But stop a minute to think: are burning firecrackers really good for your health? The answer would be a resounding ‘No!’ Bringing out the fireworks is not only bad for the environment, the old and the infirm, and the animals all around, but it is also bad for you. Here are 5 deadly effects of firecrackers on your health that perhaps we tend to ignore every Diwali!

1. Harmful for your ears: First and foremost, you can’t deny the loud booms and bangs of firecrackers; and considering the trend these days, the louder the better. An average human being can bear noise levels of up to a maximum of 85 decibels. Sound produced by firecrackers can go as high as 140 decibels! That’s way beyond what human ears can handle, and such high levels can cause hearing impairments and even permanent ear damage. Increased heartbeat and high blood pressure are other things you can suffer from due to excessively high noise levels.

2. Injuries and burns: This is something you do know. A lot of burns and injuries take place due to unsafe practices used while bursting firecrackers. Burns on the hands and legs are pretty common, especially among children. In fact, in some serious cases a misfired rocket or a chocolate bomb can lead to massive fires, which is, needless to say, definitely not good for you and your health.

3. Respiratory and skin troubles: When you launch the fireworks one after the other, you give rise to excessive smoke. This smoke contains miniscule metallic particles, which produce very dense and foggy smog. A lot of road accidents take place because of this obstruction in visibility. The chemicals in this smog are specifically harmful for those suffering from asthma and other respiratory diseases. In fact, these chemicals can also give rise to skin rashes, sinusitis, eye infections, headaches and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Children and pregnant women seem to fall into the high-risk zones.

4. Stomach Problems: While lighting firecrackers, or by simply holding them in your hands, your body absorbs the chemicals they are composed of. Even washing hands is not enough to get rid of these hazardous chemicals entirely. Minute traces of these are left in your hands, which are ingested while you have your meals. This can lead to indigestion, and other digestive problems. Even the water you consume becomes tainted with the pollution in the air at this time of the year, making it unfit for consumption.

5. Other health hazards: Nausea and mental impairment, and even heart attack are some of the other things that can happen to you while indulging in the fireworks fun. Sleeping disturbance is another common problem faced at this time of the year. The loud noise gives rise to sleepless nights for many, and results in fatigue the next day.

Before watching the sparkles, colours and magical lights of fire crackers this Diwali, be sure to ask yourself, is it really worth it?

WISH YOU A HAPPY AND SAFE DIWALI!