Everyone loves the colours and spectacular patterns that come with firecracker, because of which they are often used to mark festivals, fairs and even functions such as weddings. However, firecrackers also bring with them air and noise pollution that can be very harmful. Below are some essays on pollution due to firecrackers that will help you with your exams and assignments.

Long and Short Essay on pollution due to firecrackers in English

We have covered various aspects of pollution due to firecrackers on Diwali through essays to help you in many ways on this vast topic. You can select any pollution due to firecrackers essay that works best for you.

Essay On Pollution Caused By Firecrackers – Essay 1 (350 words)


Diwali is a very important festival for a majority of Indians and no celebration of this festival is considered complete without the use of plenty of firecrackers. So enthusiastic are people about them that they start blowing up firecrackers days and, sometimes, even weeks before Diwali. While firecrackers create beautiful patterns and lights, they are also composed of chemicals that, when burned, cause significant pollution.

Air Pollution

Firecrackers primarily contain sulphur and carbon. However, they also contain added chemicals added to act as binders, stabilizers, oxidizers, reducing agents and colouring agents. To create the multi-coloured glitter effect the colours are made up of antimony sulphide, barium nitrate, aluminium, copper, lithium and strontium.

When these firecrackers are lit, these chemicals are released into the air, reducing air quality drastically. To make matters worse, Diwali usually takes place in October or November when many cities in northern India face fog. The gases released from the firecrackers are trapped in this fog and increase the level of pollution exponentially.

Children are more susceptible to the ill effects of this type of pollution as compared to adults. However, in both these chemicals can cause wide-ranging illnesses from Alzheimer’s to lung cancer to respiratory issues.

Noise Pollution

The bangs and booms of firecrackers that we love so much are actually pretty damaging to our hearing. The highest level of noise that the human ear can tolerate without damage is eighty five decibels. Firecrackers have an average noise level of 125 decibels. As a result, there are plenty of cases of lost or damaged hearing on or after days when firecrackers explode everywhere.


Firecrackers on Diwali, a day of light, have certainly turned things dark for us. The pollution has reached such levels that recently the Supreme Court of India issued a ban on using firecrackers on Diwali. How much harm they cause to the environment can be seen in the fact that to repair one day’s worth of pollution, it would take the lifetime of five thousand trees. For the sake of our health as well as our children’s health we need to start thinking twice about using firecrackers on auspicious events.


Essay On Air Pollution Due To Firecrackers During Diwali – Essay 2 (400 words)


Diwali, the festival of lights and the victory of good over evil, has lately become an opportunity to spend lavishly and show off one’s prosperity. This spending is not limited to the clothes one buys or how one’s home is decorated. More and more people spend huge amounts on firecrackers, the louder and more elaborate the better. This exercise in spending has a lasting cost, not in terms of how it affects the pocket but in terms of the effect that it has on the air.

Air Pollution due to Firecrackers during Diwali

Delhi, the capital of India, ranks as one of the most polluted cities in the world. The air here is already subpar because of pollution from traffic, smoke released by industrial chimneys, the burning of agricultural waste in nearby regions such as Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and coal-burning thermal and super thermal power stations.

When Diwali comes along the situation becomes much worse. The levels of pollution in the air rise astronomically. In addition, since it is winter by this time, the particulates become suspended in the fog and increase the peril to the people. These particulates are less than 2.5 microns making them small enough that they can be inhaled into the lungs causing damage and respiratory issues.


The Central Pollution Board measured the National Air Quality Index in 2015 and discovered that at least eight states experienced extreme pollution and deteriorated air quality on Diwali night. In Delhi alone, the number of PM10 particulates that are hazardous to health rose to two thousand microns per square meter. The limit recommended by the WHO or World Health Organization is forty times less than this number. These levels are so high that there has been a spike in the number of cases of respiratory issues.


People who want to burn firecrackers and are frustrated by the rules limiting or even banning fireworks state that the pollution does not last longer than a few days. What they fail to take into account is that during those few days the air is so polluted that the damage it does to people’s health, especially children and the elderly, lasts much longer and can even be lifelong. More awareness and better legislation is the only way to combat the menace of air pollution caused by firecrackers.


Essay on Environmental Effects Caused By Firecrackers – Essay 3 (450 Words)


Everyone loves the bangs and fizzes and the pyrotechnics display that fireworks bring with them. Each year, manufacturers strive to outdo themselves in the magnificence of the colours and patterns that show up in the displays. Around the world, firecrackers are increasingly becoming the way to celebrate important occasions or festivals. Whether it is New Year in New York, Diwali in Delhi or Guy Fawkes Day in London, fireworks are rapidly becoming part and parcel of these celebrations.

Environmental Effects Caused By Firecrackers

However, despite the stunning display of fireworks, an increasing concern is for the damage done to the environment when firecrackers burst. Fireworks contain carbon and sulphur as well as tiny metallic particulates of chemicals such as antimony, barium, strontium, lithium, aluminium and copper. These particulates are what give colour to the amazing display of pyrotechnics that we express wonder over. In addition, potassium compounds are used to propel firecrackers such as rockets.

All these chemicals are released into the atmosphere during a fireworks display in the form of smoke and miniscule particulates where they linger for days together. They cause substantial air pollution, making the air almost completely unhealthy for anyone, child or adult, to breathe in.

This is a problem that persists around the globe. Guy Fawkes Day in London is considered the most polluted day in the year; Indian cities such as Delhi are covered in smog that is much worse than what Beijing experiences on a normal day. The particles that were analysed from these places were found to lower lung defences much more than pollution from everyday traffic, showing that they are more toxic.

Not all particulates remain in the air. Many of them settle on the ground, where there are already plenty of unburnt remains of the firecrackers. Some of this residue eventually gets washed into water bodies nearby such as lakes and rivers. These particulates have been linked to problems with the thyroid gland. Overall, they reduce the quality of drinking water so much that some states in the US have actually set limits on the drinking water.


Fireworks are relatively new additions to occasions and festivals around the globe. However, in these times, when global warming and climate change are causes for grave concern, they add significantly to the burden that the environment has to bear. Just one day or even one night of fireworks use increases pollution levels so much that getting the levels of pollution down appears a hopeless task. It is up to each individual to take personal responsibility and stop using firecrackers.


Essay on Effect of Firecrackers on Air Pollution, human/Mental Health & Animals – Essay 4 (500 words)


Diwali, for all its colour and light, has become the source of a great deal of debate and discomfort over the past few years. This debate centres on the use of firecrackers. While people love bursting firecrackers every year at this time, recent research has shown that firecrackers and the residue they leave behind can have some very harmful after-effects.

Effect of Firecrackers on Air Pollution

Exploding fireworks release a huge amount of smoke which intermingles with air. In cities such as Delhi, the air is already full of pollutants from other sources. The smoke from firecrackers mixes with the air and worsens the air quality, rendering the air quite hazardous. The particulate matter that is released by fireworks is suspended in the fog and gets into the lungs.

Effect of Firecrackers on Human Health

Fireworks contain chemicals such as barium nitrate, strontium, lithium, antimony, sulphur, potassium and aluminium. These chemicals pose serious health hazards to us. Antimony sulphide and aluminium can cause Alzheimer’s disease. Perchlorates made of potassium and ammonium can cause lung cancer. Barium nitrate can cause respiratory disorders, muscular weakness and even gastrointestinal issues. Copper and lithium compounds can cause hormonal imbalances and are fatal for animals and plants.

Effect of Firecrackers on Mental Health

The bursting of firecrackers can have a severely detrimental effect on people who suffer from mental health problems. The noise alone is enough to raise anxiety levels and the fact that this starts a week before the festival and lasts late into the night contributes to poor sleep. In extreme cases, the stress can lead to life threatening hyperventilation. Unfortunately, since mental health itself isn’t discussed a great deal in India, the effects of fireworks in this sphere have not been investigated properly.

Effect of Firecrackers on Animals

Diwali may be a time of great joy for humans but for animals and birds it is the most torturous time of the year. As pet owners already know, cats and dogs have very sensitive hearing. Therefore, what are mere loud bangs to us are as good as deafening to them. The continuous loud noises also frighten them. Strays are the worst hit since there is literally nowhere for them to go; there are fireworks on every street. Some people even tie fireworks to the tails of the animals and light them up for fun. Birds too are badly affected by the noise, which startles and frightens them and the light which can disorient or even blind them.


While fireworks may give dazzling displays, the effect they have on our physical and mental health, on our atmosphere and on the other beings that we share this planet can range from dangerous to devastating. We must curtail our use of them; a few instants of ‘fun’ do not justify long term harm to all.


Essay on Facts about Pollution Caused by Firecrackers during Diwali – Essay 5 (700 words)


Diwali is a very important festival for the majority of Indians especially the Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities. It marks the beginning of a new year as per the Hindu calendar. It also celebrates the victory of light over dark and good over evil. For centuries, it has been marked by the lighting of lamps, which are also the reason for its other name – Deepavali.

However, in recent years, another aspect of Diwali has become increasingly popular – the use of firecrackers to celebrate. From the festival of lights, Diwali has turned into the festival of sound, with big and small fireworks bursting at every street corner, in every neighbourhood and even in most homes.  These firecrackers are made up of chemicals that are released into the air when burnt. In recent years they have become a grave cause for concern due to the pollution they cause over and above the already existing pollution.

Facts about Pollution Caused By Firecrackers during Diwali

When firecrackers are burnt, they release many pollutants into the air. Some of these pollutants are lead, nitrate, magnesium and sulphur dioxide. In addition, fireworks also release tiny particulates of various metals such as strontium, antimony and aluminium among others. So many fireworks are used during the lead up to Diwali and on the day itself that the air quality becomes quantifiably worse. The particulates are called PM2.5 which is the name given to particulates that are 2.5 microns or less in dimension.

When one adds these to the already existing levels of air pollution in cities such as Delhi, the matter increases in gravity. Although Diwali is celebrated only once a year, people start bursting firecrackers over a week before the festival itself. On the day of Diwali, these numbers increase exponentially. Consequently, the problem these cities face in terms of breathable air become much worse during this time.

Fireworks contain potassium, sulphur, carbon, antimony, barium nitrate, aluminium, strontium, copper and lithium. When they undergo combustion, these chemicals are released into the air in the form of smoke and metal particulates. While they may not last in the atmosphere for more than a week or so, the damage they do when people inhale this air is very much long-term. In fact, in 2016, in Delhi, schools had to remain closed after Diwali because of the levels of pollutants that still lingered in the air.

Not all firework particulates remain in the air. Plenty of them drift back to the ground and end up in the soil. Eventually they are absorbed by crops, either damaging them or making them hazardous for human consumption or both.

If fireworks are exploded near or above water bodies such as rivers and lakes, particulate matters eventually drift down to these water bodies or get washed into them. Depending upon the levels of pollution, the waters then can become problematic or even downright dangerous for consumption.

Another aspect of the impact of fireworks on the environment, which is often overlooked or given only cursory attention, is the generation of waste. Considering two factors – the popularity of Diwali and the sheer number of people celebrating it – the number of fireworks burst on Diwali is astounding and generates a huge amount of waste. However, waste disposal resources for cities such as Delhi and Bangalore are already stretched thin when it comes to daily waste. The waste generated through firecrackers only adds to the sheer immensity of the problem.


Unfortunately, regardless of these facts, people continue to buy and burst firecrackers every year on Diwali. There have been times when the judiciary has had to step in with regulations and even outright bans on fireworks so that air quality doesn’t deteriorate more than it already has. The responsibility to control this lies on both the people and the government or the after-effects of Diwali will be anything but light.



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