Quiet Fireworks Are Cause for Celebration

Quiet Fireworks Are Cause for Celebration

by Kiley Woods

While many are celebrating holidays like Fourth of July or Labor Day with booming fireworks, others are inside comforting pets and children terrified of the roaring sounds beyond the walls. Not only are fireworks major contributors to noise pollution, but they can result in light pollution and possible hearing damage among other side effects. However, there is a quieter solution to this problem: “silent” fireworks.

Silent fireworks are not a new invention; they have been used in routine firework displays in Europe, but often go unnoticed because of the noise going on around them. In fact, quiet fireworks are most common in Europe with countries such as Great Britain and Italy passing laws requiring their use. For example, Great Britain requires that silent fireworks be used in residential areas and around livestock. In Collecchio, Italy, a law was passed in 2015 that states that all firework displays must be silent.

Unfortunately, there have been no measures taken in the United States—including the lower Cape Fear area—to encourage or mandate the use of silent fireworks. This leaves veterans with PTSD, survivors of gun violence, children on the spectrum, pets, wildlife, and farm animals to routinely suffer on major holidays. Furthermore, there are extremely few vendors in the country who sell silent fireworks despite the benefits of the product.

The quieter “silent” fireworks—often called “noiseless” or “quiet” fireworks—help to decrease anxiety in children and pets. The thunderous booms of regular fireworks can cause sensory overload resulting in anxiety, fear and panic attacks. The hushed noises of quiet fireworks can avoid this from happening in the first place. Although not completely silent, they produce significantly less noise than their more traditional counterparts.

The noise produced by fireworks harms many animals. The loud explosions can incite flight responses and disorientation in birds. The booming sounds can cause loss of hearing and tinnitus, and in worst case scenarios, irreversible hearing damage for countless species. The gasses and pollutants exploding in the air can pollute waterways, poisoning marine life. And this is just a portion of the harm done.

The impact on marine life is one of the many reasons that beaches have begun outlawing fireworks. Their main impacts on the environment are sound pollution and the debris from fireworks that pollutes the water. Many species of marine life use sound to communicate so extra noise pollution can disorient them. For example, in Dare County, Duck, Southern Shores, Nags Head, Manteo and Hatteras Island all fireworks are illegal. For the rest of North Carolina’s coast, “safe and sane” fireworks are legal. Examples of “safe and sane” fireworks include caps, snakes and glow worms, smoke devices, trick noise makers and sparklers.

Silent fireworks are more colorful than regular fireworks that emit noises up to 120 decibels. The colors in a firework are packed in pellets, sometimes called “stars.” When certain chemical mixtures are heated up, they can emit certain colors that aid in removing excess energy. When heated, barium releases green, strontium releases red and copper releases blue. When the firework is set off, its pellets ignite, burn and release color into the atmosphere.

Until silent fireworks become more widespread in the United States, what can you do to help your children and pets get through the holidays? Proven methods include closing windows and curtains to muffle the fireworks, running a fan to create “white noise,” creating a “safe place,” comforting your children and/or pets throughout the evening, and avoiding appearing frantic to keep them calm. Prior to holidays, you can desensitize them by running the sound of fireworks softly in the background over time.

Even with the growing knowledge of silent fireworks, it will take time to see them dominating the night skies. So, this Fourth of July, expect the regular booming sounds of celebration many of us are used to as silent fireworks slowly become a possible option to celebrate with brighter colors and less noise.

Where to Buy Silent Fireworks

• Party at Trav’s

Greendale, Indiana www.lawrenceburgfireworks.com/ (812) 539-2264 www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYxY3Xtp6w

• Phantom Fireworks

Multiple U.S. locations (including Myrtle Beach and Charlotte, NC) plus online store fireworks.com/blog/noiseless-fireworks (800) 777-1699

References:

“ ‘Quiet Fireworks’ Promise Relief for Children and Animals,” The New York Times. nyti. ms/3AlWs45

“How Do July 4 Celebrations Affect Wildlife?,” Illinois News Bureau. bit.ly/3RlwYtN

Dare County Fireworks. bit.ly/3y7KmZm

“Town in Italy Switches to Silent Fireworks to Reduce Anxiety in Animals,” Dogtime.com. bit.ly/3yi1trt

Kiley Woods is a student at Eckerd College in Florida studying marine biology and creative writing. She attended UNCW for two years and is a contributing writer for Going Green.