Green crackers — CSIR's ‘gift’ this Diwali

Tribune News Service

Advertisement

Kapurthala, November 7

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Labs (CSIR-NEERI) has been successful in developing various environment-friendly fireworks, including sound-emitting crackers, flowerpots, pencils, chakkar and sparkles, said Dr Neelima Jerath, Director General, Science City, during a webinar on ‘Green Diwali’ held at Pushpa Gujral Science City on Saturday.

Around 300 students and teachers from different educational institutions, including residents participated in the event.

These fireworks, based on new formulations developed by the CSIR, were available in the markets for consumers, she said. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic many states banned green crackers to protect residents from respiratory infections, she said.

Prof Vinod Kumar Garg from the Department of Environment Sciences, Central University, Bathinda, said bursting of firecrackers during festivals was a common practice in India. A number of chemicals used to make traditional crackers included copper, cadmium, lead, magnesium, zinc and sodium, he said and added that chemicals can cause several health issues, including irritation, asphyxia, metal fume fever, burns and respiratory problems. In addition, environment pollution increases several folds after fireworks, he said.

He informed that the Supreme Court had already suggested regulating polluting aspect of cracker industry and to use green crackers during festivals. Further, green crackers produce minimal toxicity and minimal fumes in the environment and can absorb particulate matter and significantly reduce nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide, which were harmful to

health. He said if green crackers were used for fireworks, pollution level would reduce around 40 per cent.

Dr Kinder Pal Banger, consultant, TB and Chest Disease, advised parents to always keep a first-aid kit ready as well as supervise their kids bursting crackers.

Dr Rajesh Grover, Director, Science City, appealed children and their parents to celebrate Diwali without firecrackers. He urged the participants to go green this festive season.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Labs (CSIR-NEERI) has successfully developed various environment-friendly fireworks, including sound-emitting crackers, flowerpots, pencils, chakkar and sparkles. These fireworks, based on new formulations developed by the CSIR are available in markets for consumers. Dr Neelima Jerath, Director General, Science City

A number of chemicals used to make traditional crackers are copper, cadmium, lead, magnesium, zinc and sodium. These chemicals can cause several health issues, including irritation, asphyxia, metal fume fever, burns and respiratory problems. Green crackers produce minimal toxicity and minimal fumes in the environment. Prof Vinod Kumar Garg, Central University, Bathinda

The air is already polluted due to burning of paddy residue and increase in number of vehicles. The suspended particulate matter (SPM) levels can cause throat, nose and eye-related problems. It can cause headaches and reduced mental acuity when it reaches the level of 100 ppm. Dr Kinder Pal Banger, consultant, TB and Chest Disease