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Great July 4th Fireworks
Meredith Hansen and Marisa Milanese June 30, 2009
Where to see the skies burst into color
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Old-fashioned Roman candles and ladyfingers have given way to complex, multi-break shells with more than a dozen effects in a single firework, and setting them off is now part of an over $900 million industry. With the high-tech choreography and split-second timing of today's shows, you can be sure that the rockets’ red glare will burst precisely when those words are sung during the Star-Spangled Banner.
“It’s the use of chemistry as a performance art,” says Dr. John Steinberg, second vice president of the Pyrotechnics Guild International, an organization of amateur and professional fireworks enthusiasts. “I’ve been in the business for 17 years and I still find it beautiful.”
The chemistry used, however, can be dangerous. As the focus on green efforts increases, many are questioning the environmental effects of fireworks. One of the most prominent concerns is that of perchlorate—a chemical used as an oxidizer, which makes the fireworks explode. Perchlorate can harm the thyroid gland, depriving it of iodide, which reduces the production of the thyroid hormone, used to regulate metabolism and key in the development of the nervous and reproductive systems.
See our slideshow of Great July 4th Fireworks.
Unfortunately, perchlorate is needed to create the extravagant shows. “It’s a concern but there’s no way around it yet,” says Ian Souza of Pyro Spectaculars by Souza, which will produce three shows on our list: New York City, Seattle and Lake Tahoe. “And who’s to say that the way around [the use of] perchlorate won’t be worse?”
Perchlorate is not the only dangerous chemical used to create fireworks. High doses of barium, the chemical used to create the green-colored fireworks, for example, can be poisonous.
While concerns have been raised in both Florida and New Hampshire, Souza and Dr. Steinberg agree that we don't know enough yet to be concerned. Research is being done to find out just how dangerous fireworks shows can be. There are ways to detect levels of perchlorate, but it is hard to pinpoint fireworks as the culprit because perchlorate occurs naturally, Dr. Steinberg says.
See our slideshow of Great July 4th Fireworks.
Julie Heckman, Executive Director of the American Pyrotechnic Association, says that while research is being conducted to find a substitute for perchlorate in fireworks, there are no perchlorate-free fireworks just yet. However, all fireworks are low-perchlorate.
Walt Disney Imagineering, whose July Fourth celebration at Disney World is featured on the list, has come up with an alternative launching system using compressed air. This form of launch eliminates the black smoke that lingers, but also eliminates the initial boom of the firework that firework lovers have become accustomed to.
Heckman applauds Disney’s breakthrough, but admits it would be costly for all pyrotechnic companies to adapt to the change. “It’s not practical for commercial pyrotechnics that put on 500 shows on the Fourth of July,” she says. “They would have to replace all their equipment.”
See our slideshow of Great July 4th Fireworks.
Until this environmentally-safe alternative becomes more cost-effective, the fireworks shows will continue to be as bright and loud as ever.
This year, the Fourth of July falls on a Saturday, promising packed shows, but with roughly 14,000 shows held across the country in honor of Independence Day, how to choose which to attend?
Heckman advises that the best shows excel in three ways: a beautiful backdrop, unique choreography and an exhilarating barrage of shells. In Boston, home of the second largest show in the country, more than 20,000 pounds of explosives burst over the Charles River to strains of the Boston Pops orchestra. Around 500,000 people turn up for this world-class event.
The annual show at San Antonio’s Sea World proves that bigger isn’t necessarily better. Produced by Santore & Sons, the show is far smaller than those of the Eastern Seaboard, but their display has been scaled down for close proximity. The effects can sometimes occur just 15 feet away. “It’s an in-your-face experience,” says Lloyd Sponenburg, general manager of Santore & Sons. “The booms are closer, the smoke is there, you can smell the effects.”
See our slideshow of Great July 4th Fireworks.
