Environment
The Spike in Air Pollution From July 4 Fireworks, Visualized
There will be more than 16,000 fireworks displays across the U.S. this Fourth of July—enough to register a dramatic (if temporary) effect on air quality.
America’s air this Independence Day will be filled with displays of patriotism—and with potentially dangerous air pollution.
All those rockets and explosions release significant amounts of “fine particulate matter,” microscopic particles capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and bloodstream.