Firework smoke: Impacts on urban air quality and deposition in the human respiratory system

Imre Salma; Árpád Farkas; Tamás Weidinger; Miklós Balogh

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121612

Firework smoke: Impacts on urban air quality and deposition in the human respiratory system

Environ Pollut. 2023 Jul 1:328:121612. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121612. Epub 2023 Apr 14.

Authors

Imre Salma¹, Árpád Farkas², Tamás Weidinger³, Miklós Balogh⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: salma.imre@ttk.elte.hu.
² Center for Energy Research, Budapest, Hungary.
³ Department of Meteorology, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁴ Department of Fluid Mechanics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary.

PMID: 37062402
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121612

Abstract

Particle number concentrations and size distributions resulting from the firework displays held in Budapest, Hungary every year on St. Stephen's Day were studied over a period of seven years. In the year most impacted, the total particle number concentration reached its peak measured level of 369 × 10³ cm^-3 5 min after the end of the display, and returned to the pre-event state within 45 min. The fireworks increased hourly mean concentrations by a factor of 5-6, whereas the concentrations in the diameter range of 100-1000 nm, in which the magnitude of the increase was the greatest, were elevated by a factor of 20-25. An extra particle size mode at 203 nm was manifested in the size distributions as result of the fireworks. The PM₁₀ mass concentrations at peak firework influence and as 1-h mean increased 123 and 58 times, respectively, relative to the concentration before the display. The smoke was characterised by a relatively short overall atmospheric residence time of 25 min. Spatiotemporal dispersion simulations revealed that there were substantial vertical and horizontal concentration gradients in the firework plume. The affected area made up a large part of the city. Not only the spectators of the display at the venue and nearby areas, but the population located further away downwind of the displays and more distant, large and populous urban quarters were affected by the plume and its fallout. The fireworks increased the deposition rate in the respiratory system of females by a factor of 4, as a conservative estimate. The largest surface density deposition rates were seen in the segmental and sub-segmental bronchi, which represents an excessive risk to health. Compared to adults, children were more susceptible to exposure, with the maximum surface density deposition rates in their case being three times those of adults in the trachea.

Keywords: Air pollution; Fireworks; Inhalation; Particle number concentration; Plume dispersion; Size distribution.

MeSH terms

Adult
Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
Bronchi
Child
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Female
Humans
Particulate Matter / analysis
Smoke

Substances

Smoke
Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter