Harmful effects of Chemicals used in crackers :
Let's do a little analysis of crackers and list out in actual terms the harmful effects posed by each of its chemicals.
Let's do a little analysis of crackers and list out in actual terms the harmful effects posed by each of its chemicals.
Chemical | Impact |
Copper | Irritation of respiratory tract |
Cadmium | Anemia and damage to kidney |
Lead | Affects the nervous system |
Magnesium | Its dust and fumes cause metal fume fever |
Sodium | Reacts violently with moisture and can attack the skin. |
Zinc | Leads to vomiting |
Nitrate | Could lead to mental impairment |
Nitrite | Could lead to coma |
Noise Pollution caused by Fire Crackers
Crackers that make a noise of more than 125 decibels at four metres distance from the point of bursting are banned by the law. Given here are the hazards posed by excessive noise pollution caused by crackers:
- Hearing loss, high blood pressure, heart attack and sleeping disturbances.
- Sudden exposure to loud noise could cause temporary deafness or permanent relative deafness.
2. Excessive Consumerism
An indirect but equally significant impact of Diwali on nature is due to the increased consumption. Since Diwali is also a celebration of abundance and wealth - many people believe that it is a good time to buy. Often, people go out and buy new items even when they don't need them. Advertisements and hoardings scream out to people offerings sales extravaganzas, bargains, discounts encouraging us to buy more and more!
How does this increased consumption affect Nature?
A point to realize is that all man made items are made out of materials that come from Nature. Be it plastic, metal, paper or cloth - all of these raw materials come directly from nature. Those sources that are non renewable (cannot be grown back) such as fossil fuels and metal ores get depleted and will one day run out. Depletion of non renewable natural resources is one of the most significant impact of consumerism.
For instance, the gold earrings that you will buy on Diwali is coming from a gold mine that is not only depleting the gold resources of the earth, but in the process of mining is probably ruining several ecosystems.
A question to ponder at this stage is, where do all the things we throw away go finally? Solid waste created by human beings which is non biodegradable (does not easily decompose) has to be filled into holes dug up in the ground. These 'landfills' as they are called may exist for centuries without completely getting integrated into the soil. The plastic toys that you are throwing away today, may exist in a landfill several generations after yours!
