Real-Time Measurements of Ozone and UV Radiation during Pyrotechnic Displays

Abstract

Real-time measurements of ozone, NO x , aerosols and radiation were performed very close to the launch area of high intensity pyrotechnic spectacles, the so-called Mascletàs, typical of celebrations in eastern Spain. During these events, a considerable number of spectators are potentially exposed to high concentrations of pollutants directly or indirectly produced by the ignition of thousands of firecrackers at ground-level. This work is focused on the mechanism of ozone formation throughout the Mascletàs. After the initial decrease in O 3 levels (minimum concentration < 10 µg m -3 ) due to the reaction with NO emitted by fireworks explosions, peak concentrations of up to ~150 µg m -3 were recorded, clearly indicating that ozone was generated during these events. The results suggest that UV light produced by fireworks displays photolyzes O 2 releasing O to form O 3 as in the stratosphere.

Untitled

“…Se ha demostrado que la quema de pirotecnia genera condiciones para la formación de ozono a nivel de suelo: cuando los metales de la mezcla pirotécnica son calentados a altas temperaturas se libera radiación UV que incide directamente en el oxígeno, generando ozono; otras reacciones de generación de ozono se dan con NO y NO 2 que también son generados durante la quema de pirotecnia (Ganguly, 2009;Caballero et al, 2015).…”

“…El material particulado contiene metales como Na, K, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, As, Br, Sr, Sb, Pb, Cs, Ba, Ti, V y Cu (Steinhauser et al, 2008, Baranyai et al, 2015. También se ha encontrado que durante una exposición pirotécnica se puede generar O 3 a nivel de suelo y emisiones de NO 2 que es un gas con mayor efecto invernadero que el CO 2 y el metano (CH 4 ) (Caballero et al, 2015). La Asociación Americana de Pirotecnia (APA por sus siglas en inglés) menciona que esta industria en Estados Unidos ha tenido un crecimiento sin precedentes durante los últimos 16 años.…”

“…The particulate matter contains metals such as Na, K, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, As, Br, Sr, Sb, Pb, Cs, Ba, Ti, V andCu (Steinhauser et al, 2008, Baranyai et al, 2015). It has been found that during a fireworks performance, O 3 at soil level and emissions of NO 2 , a gas with higher greenhouse effect than CO 2 and methane (CH 4 ) (Caballero et al, 2015) Defensa Nacional de más de 100 sitios de manufactura de material pirotécnico (IMEPI, 2016).…”

Temporal Changes in Air Quality during a Festival Season in Kannur, India

“…The burning of fireworks during festivals has been sporadic, but contributes high loading of the atmosphere with air pollutants. The burning of fireworks at a high temperature releases dense smoke of carbonaceous gases, nitrous oxides, sulphur compounds, and particles of metal oxides [15][16][17][18][19][20]. Among the Indian festivals, Diwali is a national festival in India celebrated during October-November with coordinated fireworks.…”

Characteristics of Respirable Particulate Metals Emitted by a Beehive Firework Display in YanShuei Area of Southern Taiwan

“…The extensive use of pyrotechnics in large celebratory events frequently degrades short-term air quality significantly, possibly harming human health (causing chronic lung diseases, cancer, neurological and haematological diseases, for example) (Smith and Dinh, 1975;Clark, 1997;Godri et al, 2010;Moreno et al, 2010;Caballero, et al, 2015;Robles, et al, 2015). Fire work displays are known to increase ambient fine particle concentrations and fine-particulate metals (Vecchi et al, 2008;Lancaster et al, 1998;Perry, 1999;Kumara et al, 2016).…”