The Fourth of July is coming, and the fireworks have already begun. After months of being cooped up due to the pandemic, and in the context of ongoing struggles for racial justice, more residents than usual are starting this year’s festivities early, resulting in both exuberant fun and noise complaints by neighbors. In the first half of June in N.Y.C., for example, the city received 80 times the number of
fireworks complaints this year than last. Even though many
municipalities across the nation have canceled big city-wide celebrations due to the need for social-distancing, we can still expect smaller celebrations where families and friends set off fireworks in their streets or backyards to mark the occasion. But for some, fireworks are no fun, and they are more than a nuisance disturbing their sleep; they are a potential source of trauma. There is a simple solution.
“Silent” fireworks can deliver the same cascading colors but without the daunting decibels and startling explosions that usually erupt in the night sky. While these silent fireworks are stunning, they lack the big explosive power that drives mega-displays high into the air for viewing by thousands. They are ideal for smaller events. The trade-off in scale is a welcome one for the many for whom these celebrations often bring with them trauma, fear, and even lingering effects of hearing loss.
It shouldn’t be hard to understand how fireworks’ loud, unpredictable bangs and whizzing explosions that cause such delight could also have negative effects on so many. Veterans with PTSD, children on the autism spectrum, survivors of gun violence, pets, and even wildlife and farm animals routinely suffer on July 4th. Yet there is an easy way to change that by lowering the impact of the loud, sudden, unpredictable, percussive noises that come with fireworks.
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Silent” fireworks aren’t a new invention. In fact, they have been around for a long time as part of regular fireworks displays, including the “comet display” that shoots into the air with a long sparking tail, or the “flying fish” whose scattering sparkles swim out from a silent boom like little tadpoles. These fireworks actually display the most stunning colors, more so than big explosions. The most explosive fireworks, the ones with the biggest booms, have little color because the force can shatter the pellets that carry the little “stars” that emit signature colors of green, red, and blue. Despite the name, these more colorful fireworks aren’t entirely silent, but they are significantly quieter, registering at far below the typical 150-170 decibels of the loud fireworks, which can cause hearing damage.
For some
veterans, or for victims of gun violence, the sudden booms and pops of loud exploding fireworks can
trigger a PTSD episode, recalling the “duck and cover” response to unpredictable danger and raising anxiety during the holiday. Some veterans even put signs outside their houses to alert neighbors to their predicament, asking for consideration as they know the explosions can bring unwelcome memories to the fore.
Children can also suffer. Some
children on the autism spectrum can be overwhelmed by the huge noises and the unpredictable sounds of fireworks displays, and their parents are often advised by psychologists to buy noise-canceling headphones for such events. Their families have to carefully strategize how to navigate the celebrations if they go, or choose to stay home altogether, depriving other family members of a chance to participate in collective festivities.
And it is not only people who are harmed. Your
dog’s hearing is many times more acute than yours. Dogs can hear up to 60,000hz while humans only hear 20,000hz. Fireworks, which arrive without warning, can trigger a startle response in dogs, generating acute anxiety and fear in a situation they can’t understand. Just like in people, the startle response causes racing hearts, a surge of adrenalin, and a need to flee. Shelters routinely report an influx of lost dogs after the 4th as terrified animals run for their lives.
According to the ASPCA , more dogs get lost on the Fourth of July than any other day of the year.
Wildlife too can be terrified, such as the deer and coyotes that race into the road to escape the sounds, resulting in more dangerous car collisions. Even birds are affected. In the largest event yet reported on the effects of fireworks explosions on wildlife, the town of Beebe, Arkansas, saw 5,000 red-winged
blackbirds fall dead from the sky after a fireworks celebration, possibly because the sounds disoriented them, causing them to fly into houses and trees.
