Fireworks destroy lives

REX CHOOKOLINGO

I LOVE this time of the year: the music, the food, the smell of freshly baked goods, and the shimmering lights attract passers-by as they bustle to find that perfect gift for loved ones. The Christmas season, closely followed by New Year’s celebrations a week later, is my favourite time.

However, there are the young children, the sick and the infirm who also need optimal quietude and passivity to survive. Many do not follow a strict sleep pattern, they sleep whenever they can; sometimes they catch a few winks in the afternoon, and other times it is later in the evening or whenever the sandman beckons them. Getting shuteye at night is mostly unheard of, as anything can disrupt their reverie.

After years of pleading with the authorities to ban the sale of fireworks to the general public, the requests have been brushed aside as the lure of wealth from the sale of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fireworks is too much of a temptation for lawmakers and the police to uphold.

“Noise can pose a serious threat to a child’s physical and psychological health, including learning and behaviour. For example, noise can: interfere with speech and language. Repeated exposure to noise during critical periods of development may affect a child’s acquisition of speech, language and language-related skills, such as reading and listening. Impair learning. The inability to concentrate in a noisy environment can affect a child’s capacity to learn. Impair hearing. Tinnitus, often described as a ringing or buzzing sound in the ear, is a symptom associated with many forms of hearing loss. NIHL (noise-induced hearing loss) is a permanent hearing impairment resulting from prolonged exposure to high levels of noise or by sudden high-level (impulse) noise.”

I hope this information provided by the US epa.gov will help our government formulate a new anti-fireworks bill to prevent the damaging impact of loud fireworks on our children.

While fireworks may invigorate the minds and senses of young adults and get their adrenaline flowing, according to doh.gov.ph, the “Increase in the sound levels can lead to restlessness, temporary or permanent hearing loss, high blood pressure and sleep disturbance. Fireworks can also cause respiratory problems such as chronic or allergic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, sinusitis, rhinitis, pneumonia and laryngitis.”

Is a few minutes of explosive fireworks worth a lifetime of misery and medical issues, even PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)?

But what about the environment? “Fireworks cause extensive air pollution quickly, leaving metal particles, dangerous toxins, harmful chemicals, and smoke in the air for days. When ignited, these materials produce fine particles and gasses that can contribute to air pollution. Some of the toxins in fireworks never fully decompose and can stay in the environment for decades, continuously poisoning the air around them” – jtechconst.com.

So far, we have only discussed the negative impact of fireworks on humans. “The apparent downside to fireworks on the Fourth of July (in the US) are those earth-shattering bangs and booms. Depending on where you live, your pets may hear consumer fireworks set off in your neighbourhood, or there may be professional-grade fireworks set off at a nearby park or fairgrounds, or there may even be both. Fireworks set off both close by and miles away can cause sound anxiety in pets.

“Dogs and cats have a sense of hearing that’s many times more acute than ours, and they can also hear sounds at much higher frequencies. So, they’re exposed not only to those huge booms but the ear-splitting whines, crackles, and hisses that fill the sky.

“Sound anxiety triggered by fireworks can be mild to severe. It tends to worsen in pets as they age. Pets may show signs like drooling, nausea, destructive chewing, urinating, defecating, inability to eat or sleep, and, in severe cases, seizures and panic-induced heart attacks.

“Many fall into a state of panic that lasts throughout the night, and up to 25 per cent of those with sound anxiety experience symptoms that last days, even weeks following a night of fireworks, according to a 2019 Memorial University of Newfoundland study” – 1800petmeds.com

Humans live in an existential era of advanced technology, such as theatres with immense sound and 3D pictures, which provide us with immersive experiences. At home, we have even tried to simulate the cinema experience with supermajor flat-screen TVs with surround sound that nearly equals that of theatres.

So, with all these indoor entertainment options that would put fireworks to shame, why do we insist on using fireworks that disrupt so many people and harm the environment, wildlife and pets? Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to protect the least among us and not just those who pay the most to support its policies?

I contacted the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), whose name could be a misnomer because it has no authority or resources to take any action when the barrage of fireworks erupts. Call the police, I was told. However, despite the Summary Offences Act, Chapter 11:02 of the Laws of TT – section 99 states, “Any person who throws, casts, sets fire to, or lets off any fireworks within any town is liable to a fine of one thousand dollars” – everyone seems to ignore the law, as we can see from the barrage of fireworks on New Year’s Eve and independence eve.