Fireworks are fun - but the effects are not

The sparkles from fireworks last a few seconds but the air pollution can linger in our cities for hours.Firework smoke is rich in tiny metal particles making it very different to normal urban air pollution. These metals are used to make firework colours in much the same way as Victorian scientists identified chemicals by burning them in a Bunsen flame; red from strontium or lithium, blue from copper and bright green or white from barium compounds. Continue reading...