The effect of a fireworks event on the amount and elemental concentration of deposited dust collected in the city of Debrecen, Hungary

Baranyai, Edina and Simon, Edina and Braun, Mihály and Tóthmérész, Béla and Posta, József and Fábián, István (2014) The effect of a fireworks event on the amount and elemental concentration of deposited dust collected in the city of Debrecen, Hungary. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 8. pp. 359-365. ISSN 1873-9326

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Abstract

Many social celebrations in urban areas are follow- ed by fireworks show. The organic and inorganic pollutants emitted during detonations are expected to affect the ambient air quality of these celebration sites. The environmental as- pects of fireworks events are usually investigated by analyzing the concentration and composition of airborne particulate matter, while there is limited information regarding the effect of fireworks on the elemental concentration of deposited dust. In this study, foliage dust samples were collected in the city of Debrecen (Hungary) before and after the fireworks show, organized on the 20th of August for the celebration of a historical event. Leaf samples ( Tilia tomentosa )werecollected around the location of the area of festivities. The sampling sites were further divided into five areas: city center (center), Southeast (SE), Southwest (SW), Northeast (NE), and North- west (NW). We found that the amount of deposited dust particles increased significantly after the fireworks show compared to the background; we also found significant dif- ferences in the amount of dust deposition between the differ- ent locations of the city. A statistically higher level of Ca, Mg, and Sr was detected in samples collected after the display compared to those collected during the previous days, while the concentration of other studied elements were not statisti- cally different from the background level. Our study con- firmed previous findings that the relatively high altitude of detonations allows chemicals to disperse in the fine and ultra- fine aerosol fractions; thus, the emitted pollutants by fireworks shows do not increase the level of elements as markedly in deposited dust as in the inhalable fraction.

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