Michigan fireworks season is here. With Detroit’s fireworks show next week and the Fourth of July just around the corner Detroiters have reason to be excited or, perhaps, apprehensive if they’re sensitive to air pollution.
Although short-lived, air pollution from fireworks can be significant and pose risks for those with asthma, COPD or other health conditions. Research shows that fireworks can lead to a 42% increase in PM 2.5 pollution, adding to issues with industrial pollution or wildfire smoke. Fireworks also produce significant amounts of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and metals like aluminum and cadmium.
Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter is associated with increased infant mortality, heart attacks, strokes and hospital admission for COPD or asthma attacks. Nationally, the number of days the government’s Air Quality Index labels as “very unhealthy” or “hazardous” have increased dramatically in the last decade, a change largely attributable to PM2.5 from wildfires.
Spikes in air pollution on the Fourth of July
Sarah Craft, head of partnerships for the company JustAir, which has networks of air monitors in Detroit, Grand Rapids and other cities, said that last year the company’s air monitors in Grand Rapids noted significantly higher levels of PM 2.5 pollution around the Fourth of July. The city experienced high levels of PM 2.5 pollution throughout much of the summer because of Canadian wildfires. However, Craft said the period around the holiday still saw some of the summer’s worst pollution.
Although Michigan experienced multiple periods of wildfire smoke in 2023, state regulators didn’t declare any air quality advisories for PM 2.5 from July 3 to July 6. Yet Craft said a monitor on Hall St. in Grand Rapids’ 49507 zip code, a hot spot for pollution concerns, showed particulate matter above the federal air quality standard for annual PM2.5 for the entire period between 9 PM on July 3 and 9 PM on July 6.
According to the JustAir monitor, PM 2.5 levels climbed above 250 micrograms per cubic meter on the evening of July 4, meaning pollution may have reached the AQI’s “hazardous” level, the highest category on the scale.
In contrast, a monitor on Michigan St. in downtown Grand Rapids registered air in the “unhealthy for sensitive” groups range on July 4 and dipped below the federal standard for annual PM 2.5 during the three-day period. Research done in California showed PM 2.5 pollution from fireworks was nearly twice as high in low-income areas and communities of color.
How to manage asthma during fireworks
State monitors usually see an uptick in air pollution on the evening of July 4th. Still, it only lasts a few hours, according to Alec Kownacki, a meteorologist with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s Air Quality Division. JustAir’s Hall St. monitor showed a similar pattern, with PM 2.5 spiking around 11 pm on July 4 and then declining precipitously, although pollution remained high over the next two days.
The American Lung Association recommends that those with asthma watch fireworks from a distance, stay upwind of smoke, go inside if it’s too smoky and keep a rescue inhaler on hand.
Michiganders can check on their air quality at the government site, airnow.gov, or via neighborhood monitors offered through JustAir’s app or PurpleAir’s online map.
The government site is considered the gold standard in terms of accuracy, but private monitoring networks can give a more localized picture of air quality. If pollution levels are high, experts advise staying indoors in air conditioning and wearing an N95 of KN95 mask when going outdoors.