The traditional fireworks with which the past year has passed and the new one welcomed in, is one of many German new year’s eve, such as “Dinner for One” or Fondue.
But what is to be seen in the sky is beautiful, promoted, however, any amount of fine dust in the air. In the Wake of the current environmental movement of the fireworks, therefore, more and more criticism.
And also doctors are sounding the Alarm, because the new year’s eve fireworks is not only for the environment, with serious consequences, even human health can suffer.
The maximum values for fine dust load exceeded
The German fire, according to the Federal environment Agency with fireworks in a new year’s eve night each year, around 4,500 tonnes of fine dust.
“These are extremely high values, which reach most of the cities on any other day of the year,” says Professor Dr. Holger Schulz from the center for environmental health, in Munich, to the Portal of the ‘medical aspects’.
The maximum daily average value for particulate matter is required by law and must be on the measuring, a maximum of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
This limit was exceeded on new year’s morning in 2018, at many stations, however, many times over. Particularly high values were according to surveys by the Federal Environmental Agency, therefore, in Leipzig, Munich and Nuremberg.
Especially the weather conditions at the beginning of the new year, are responsible for whether and how quickly the fine dust subsides.
Without Wind, the dirt can stay in the air for several days across the cities in hang and in the lower layers of the atmosphere to accumulate.
Dirty air is not only harmful to the lungs
As several international studies show, may suffer from this air pollution, the health significantly. Also the German society for pneumology and respiratory medicine (DGP) warns of the consequences.
Thus, dirty air is damaging in the long term, not only the lungs but also the metabolism and the circulatory System. Also, the development of the foetus in the womb may be affected.
In the first days of the new year, children, seniors, and people with chronic diseases, especially small-often under a cough and difficulty breathing, which often end up in the hospital.
A real Protection, there are hardly, since the conventional respirators can filter out the harmful particles only insufficiently.
“Keep preferably in sparsely populated areas beyond the big cities, where the air remains clean,” advises Schulz.
Fireworks waiver may help
The private fireworks are to reduce or eliminate it, would be a possible first step to help its health, and also has other positive effects.
“Rockets and firecrackers cause high levels of pollution that no-one can escape,” says the President of the DGP, Prof. Dr. med. Klaus Rabe.
“At least out of consideration to the less healthy, others you should rethink the use of it.”
The physical health will suffer in the new year’s eve night, however, not only by air pollution.
Every year, thousands of people are injured by rockets and firecrackers. Many stay to keep damage to ears, eyes, or hands.
In addition, the environmental damage due to the new year’s Eve fireworks. In addition to the burden from fine dust is immense waste incurred every year, mountains that need to be disposed of.
“Less rockets, and firecrackers, or even the waiver of the fireworks helps a lot of people and the environment. To donate the amount of a charitable Organisation, would be an additional positive step into the new year,“ is Schulz to bear in mind.
Sources
- Schulz, H. et al (2018): Breathe: air pollution and health, retrieved on 13.12.2019: https://pneumologie.de/fileadmin/user_upload/DGP_Luftschadstoffe_Positionspapier_20181127.pdf
- Environmental undesamt (2018): the thick air of the year, retrieved on 13.12.2019: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/dicke-luft-jahreswechsel
Cornelia Bertram
*The post “lung doctors warn: harmful fire is published for the health” of FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.