Fears of pollution take the shine away from pyrotechnics
By Cai Wenjun, Hu Min and Zha Minjie |
February 7, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
DESPITE the best efforts of the netizens, who are calling for a quieter Chinese New Year to battle the smog choking parts of China now, it is unlikely to bear fruit.
A suggestion to try out electronic fireworks also seems to have few buyers - and understandably, they have gone off the market.
The Chinese lunar New Year eve falls on Saturday, when a blaze of fireworks lights up the sky around midnight. But the persistent haze and serious air pollution have many worried but tradition trumps all that.
According to the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center, the city has struggled with severe air pollution repeatedly during the nation's biggest holiday in the last few years.
The legal limit for sales of fireworks are more than 200,000 boxes each year, 80 percent of which are sold during the Spring Festival period, according to the local fire prevention authority.
"After all, people need to soak in the atmosphere of the festival," said Jiang Guoping, a manager with Shanghai Jinqilin Fireworks Company, the largest franchiser of fireworks in the city.
Jiang said the company had introduced electronic firecrackers several years ago but there were few buyers. The company then stopped selling them.
The density of fine particles, the PM2.5, during the New Year's eve and in the wee hours of the morning rose to 245 micrograms per cubic meter within two hours last year.
The readings jumped to 362 micrograms per cubic meter in the wee hours of the morning on the fifth day of the lunar new year, a traditional day to welcome the God of Fortune.
China's standard for safe air is 75 micrograms per cubic meter for 24 hours.
In addition to PM2.5 pollution, crackers and fireworks also contain metal particles like magnesium and copper and sulfur compound, which can cause health problems if inhaled, experts said.
The city's quality control watchdog also warned residents about safety concern after it confiscated 10 batches of substandard fireworks.
There were also problems about short wicks that could be potentially dangerous, besides emission height deficiency and loose fuse.
Bureau officials urged consumers to buy from licensed stores. The fireworks are marked out in four levels - A, B, C and D. People are being advised to buy those marked C and D, which are safer. Others are meant only for professionals, officials said.
Electrical tags have been added to the licensed fireworks while the fake and illegal ones have none. The tags help customers and authorities to track down the manufacturer after an accident.
Shanghai seizes about 20,000 boxes of illegal and fake fireworks on average every year. But there are still many that find their way into the market.
"Many citizens prefer to buy the illegal ones which might be larger and have more eye-catching visual effects," said Fan Yongqing, an officer with the Shanghai Fire Control Bureau.
A suggestion to try out electronic fireworks also seems to have few buyers - and understandably, they have gone off the market.
The Chinese lunar New Year eve falls on Saturday, when a blaze of fireworks lights up the sky around midnight. But the persistent haze and serious air pollution have many worried but tradition trumps all that.
According to the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center, the city has struggled with severe air pollution repeatedly during the nation's biggest holiday in the last few years.
The legal limit for sales of fireworks are more than 200,000 boxes each year, 80 percent of which are sold during the Spring Festival period, according to the local fire prevention authority.
"After all, people need to soak in the atmosphere of the festival," said Jiang Guoping, a manager with Shanghai Jinqilin Fireworks Company, the largest franchiser of fireworks in the city.
Jiang said the company had introduced electronic firecrackers several years ago but there were few buyers. The company then stopped selling them.
The density of fine particles, the PM2.5, during the New Year's eve and in the wee hours of the morning rose to 245 micrograms per cubic meter within two hours last year.
The readings jumped to 362 micrograms per cubic meter in the wee hours of the morning on the fifth day of the lunar new year, a traditional day to welcome the God of Fortune.
China's standard for safe air is 75 micrograms per cubic meter for 24 hours.
In addition to PM2.5 pollution, crackers and fireworks also contain metal particles like magnesium and copper and sulfur compound, which can cause health problems if inhaled, experts said.
The city's quality control watchdog also warned residents about safety concern after it confiscated 10 batches of substandard fireworks.
There were also problems about short wicks that could be potentially dangerous, besides emission height deficiency and loose fuse.
Bureau officials urged consumers to buy from licensed stores. The fireworks are marked out in four levels - A, B, C and D. People are being advised to buy those marked C and D, which are safer. Others are meant only for professionals, officials said.
Electrical tags have been added to the licensed fireworks while the fake and illegal ones have none. The tags help customers and authorities to track down the manufacturer after an accident.
Shanghai seizes about 20,000 boxes of illegal and fake fireworks on average every year. But there are still many that find their way into the market.
"Many citizens prefer to buy the illegal ones which might be larger and have more eye-catching visual effects," said Fan Yongqing, an officer with the Shanghai Fire Control Bureau.
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