The Side Effects of Fireworks

The Fourth of July is one of the largest events in the United States annually. This celebration of our nation’s inception is celebrated with parades and festivals. The Fourth of July is also known for its fireworks celebration. However, we do not need this many firework displays. Central q and a are clear

We do not think much about those with sound sensitivities or post-traumatic stress disorder. The Fourth of July is a noisy event year after year that takes a toll on some people.

There was a huge stir in Milwaukee this year as a huge thunder storm rolled through. Would there be fireworks this year? A sigh of relief rang out as the storm passed and the fireworks were able to still take place.

This is not a relief for all. A majority of the afternoon, I could hear neighbors throwing firecrackers that would occasionally pop. In past years, I have been awoken by a cannon across the street being fired.

Our parades are a celebration of our nation, so it is only fitting that it highlights various groups. Various portions of the military and veterans march on down, often firing blanks. Flags parade by. Scout groups spread candy and the marching band fills the air with upbeat music.

You can see reminders on social media regarding helping your pets cope with the anxiety of these loud noises, but you do not see much regarding people. People are expected to just deal with this on their own.

You can see people with sound proof ear muffs more on the Fourth of July than any other day. You do not see the people who feel they cannot leave their house because they are not sure whether they will be triggered.

We do not need firework displays in every neighborhood. Reducing the number of firework events that you can hear from miles away would help this issue. Reducing the number of fireworks would also help reduce air pollution.

With the new wave of technology, we could be celebrating the United States’ independence in new, innovative ways. Drones and light shows are a new way of achieving this. This year, Aspen, Colorado opted to replace its fireworks show with just this to decrease possibility for wildfire.

Some people say that this is a time-honored tradition, and we should not be removing it. From the inception of this county, John Adams envisioned these festivities celebrating the birth of our nation as involving fireworks. However, fireworks were the big show for our time. Since then, technology has advanced tenfold.

We do not need to remove firework shows altogether. Reducing the number of shows and not shooting off firecrackers at random would be beneficial to the community. Regulating this would be a difficult task, but it may not need to be a matter of regulation and a matter of people being more mindful. If we can share information regarding pet safety with this holiday, why can we not share information regarding human safety.

Going through trauma is not rare. About 70% of people are said to experience trauma at some point in their lives and approximately 20% of people experience PTSD. PTSD develops after exposure to extreme trauma and can cause a person to feel horror, anxiety, sadness, and helplessness, to name a few. Triggers can onset these feelings without warning.

Fireworks can often be triggering as they are consecutive loud noises going off and can often sound like guns being fired. Some combat veterans suffering from severe PTSD are more susceptible to being triggered by these loud noises.

In a study done by researchers from the University of Helinski and Aarhus University addressed noise sensitivity in relation to the brain and found sound sensitivities affect 20-40% of the population. This causes loud noises such as fireworks and blanks being fired to often ring and can have other adverse side effects such as leaving this audience with migraines.

If there is an opportunity to cut down on the various sounds around us, we should be taking that opportunity. The world is more than just inside our immediate group of those we know and there is never a clear sign that everyone can process these sounds.

Reducing these sounds does not make the United States any less patriotic. This reduction of air pollution from cutting the number of firework shows would also reduce the number of potential triggers.

For now, we can simply change our own actions and reduce the number of firecrackers we set off and remember that there are people around us with different life experiences. There are alternatives that could create the same visual beauty without the same side effects.