❋ Detoxcellence

Fireworks Smoke (Perchlorate & Metals)

Standing downwind of consumer fireworks.

60Low burden · out of 100
Cleaner swapWatch from a distance, upwind

How this score is built

  1. 100Start
  2. 77Chemical hazard 5 × 4.6−23
  3. 70.2Everyday exposure 2 × 3.4−6.8
  4. 60Persistence 4 × 2.6−10.4, then rounded to 60
  5. LowThe band60 sits in 60–79.

What each input rests on

The three ratings behind the score, and the studies each rests on
InputRatingEvidence
Chemical hazard5/10unsourced input
Everyday exposure2/10unsourced input
Persistence4/10

  • In a municipal lake beside a fireworks site, sampled 2004 to 2006, perchlorate rose 24 to 1,028 times above baseline within 14 hours of displays and took 20 to 80 days to fall back toward background.

    Perchlorate behavior in a municipal lake following fireworks displays · Environ Sci Technol 2007

    DOI 10.1021/es0700698 · PMID 17612176 · Abstract · read 2026-10-21

Ratings are editorial. A study listed here supports the rating; it did not compute it. How the index is built

What this means for you

Firework smoke carries perchlorate and metal particulates that briefly spike local air pollution. Watching from upwind and at a distance limits what you inhale.

Evidence strength: emerging

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