6 ms·

Fireworks likely caused water contamination at Mount Rushmore (2016)

130 points by johntfella 3y ago

akira2501 3y ago
The probable cause, of one particular case, inside of a national park, directly underneath where fireworks were displayed. If only the full title of the article managed to convey all of this. :|
- lima 3y ago
  The full title of the article is literally "Fireworks Likely Caused Water Contamination at Mount Rushmore". Title on HN was editorialized.
- napierzaza 3y ago
  [dead]
okokwhatever 3y ago
[flagged]
ricardobeat 3y ago
In case anyone else was wondering why this matters, perchlorate interferes with thyroid hormones and can affect brain development in children. Proposed regulation sets the limit in water to either 18, or 90 micrograms per liter. Source: https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/perchlorate-drinking-water-frequent-questions https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/perchlorate-drinking-water-frequent...
- refurb 3y ago
  A maximum perchlorate concentration of 54 micrograms per liter (µg/L) measured in a stream sample, and 38 µg/L measured from a groundwater well.
khaki54 3y ago
Perchlorate can interfere with iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. It is used as a drug to combat hyperthyroidism. It also occurs naturally and is continually produced in the atmosphere. There is no maximum contaminate level goal (MCLG) set and thus no maximum level set for groundwater. They did setup some interim guidance back in 2008, and advised 15ppb. Overall, doesn't look super dangerous.
spondylosaurus 3y ago
I have a bunch of those air purifiers that auto-adjust their fan speed when they detects poor quality air + I live in a place with very permissive laws around fireworks... and the purifier under my kitchen window was going crazy last night. You'd hear a big pop over the roof, five seconds pass, and then the purifier would kick up a notch for the next minute or so. Repeat until the neighbors' firework stash ran out.
- DueDilligence 3y ago
  [dead]
- Scoundreller 3y ago
  I wish cars had this to turn on recirc when passing by a sewage plant or otherwise high pollution levels. Cars could make great mass pollution scanners, but I doubt anyone but an all-electric firm would even think of implementing this.
elijahbenizzy 3y ago
I honestly believe we should ban fireworks and firework shows across the country. Not only are they (apparently) bad for the environment and likely to cause wildfires*, have the potential to trigger PTSD**, but they also make the large majority of dogs terrified for at least two nights of the year. As humans, our symbiotic relationship with dogs is one of our greatest assets -- we owe them better than this. Drone shows + music are just as cool. * https://www.readyforwildfire.org/more/fireworks-safety/ https://www.readyforwildfire.org/more/fireworks-safety/ * https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/fireworks-spark-dozens-of-bay-area-fires/ https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/fireworks-spark-dozens-o... * https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety/fireworks https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety... ** https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/fireworks_ptsd.asp https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/fireworks_ptsd.asp ** https://www.va.gov/hines-health-care/stories/how-your-fireworks-may-affect-americas-veterans/ https://www.va.gov/hines-health-care/stories/how-your-firewo...
- aifooh7Keew6xoo 3y ago
  Let's make thunderstorms illegal, they scare dogs too.
- financypants 3y ago
  The dogs argument is the weakest argument.
  - elijahbenizzy 3y ago
    Strong disagree, but there is clearly an argument for everyone here :)
    - ysavir 3y ago
      They may not have meant weakest in the sense of "least valid", but rather "least likely to change minds". One of my cats gets freaked out by fireworks and I'd love to see a cessation of the tradition, but I fully acknowledge that fans of fireworks aren't likely to show any concern for the impact on pets.
Guzba 3y ago
From another study: "Perchlorate is an oxidizer used in fireworks. Though fireworks displays are held over Lake Biwa, which supplies water to Kyoto, the city’s water treatment process lacks the ability to remove perchlorate. This study investigated perchlorate contamination in source and tap water resulting from a fireworks display. During 2016, the perchlorate concentration in the source water increased to 22.3 μg/L during the 19 hours following the display and then decreased to ,0.5 μg/L during the 43 hours following the display. The perchlorate concentration in the tap water increased to 13.6 μg/L during the 35 hours following the display, and then gradually decreased... it took 11–29 days to decrease its concentration in tap water in Kyoto to <0.5 μg/L." Flow behavior of perchlorate from a source lake to a water supply tap following fireworks displays https://iwaponline.com/wpt/article/14/3/695/69039/Flow-behavior-of-perchlorate-from-a-source-lake-to https://iwaponline.com/wpt/article/14/3/695/69039/Flow-behav...
deviantbit 3y ago
[flagged]
rokkitmensch 3y ago
I love everything about fireworks. The explosions, the noises, the colors, the risk, the lighting-shit-on-fire... But I recently moved to a high desert/ski town where fireworks are largely banned, and outright dangerous to the entire city for about half the year, and I'm willing to accept this tradeoff for access to forests, mountains and streams. The local city launches the annual displays from the tallest butte in town, and there are neighborhood pools on which side of the butte will catch fire every year. The local FD uses that inevitable fire as a suppression exercise, which is nearly as entertaining as the fireworks display. I'm perhaps jaded though, in being willing to make this tradeoff. I worked for a few years in the downtown Austin office of a major tech co. right on the river. We'd congregate in the cafeteria and in the rooftop garden for eye-level firework viewing. It was absolutely glorious. Side anecdote: on NYE you could walk the garden perimeter and see fireworks at the horizon line in every direction. God Bless Texas.

130 points by johntfella 3y ago

The probable cause, of one particular case, inside of a national park, directly underneath where fireworks were displayed. If only the full title of the article managed to convey all of this. :|

lima 3y ago
The full title of the article is literally "Fireworks Likely Caused Water Contamination at Mount Rushmore". Title on HN was editorialized.
napierzaza 3y ago
[dead]

okokwhatever 3y ago

[flagged]

ricardobeat 3y ago

In case anyone else was wondering why this matters, perchlorate interferes with thyroid hormones and can affect brain development in children. Proposed regulation sets the limit in water to either 18, or 90 micrograms per liter. Source: https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/perchlorate-drinking-water-frequent-questions https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/perchlorate-drinking-water-frequent...

refurb 3y ago
A maximum perchlorate concentration of 54 micrograms per liter (µg/L) measured in a stream sample, and 38 µg/L measured from a groundwater well.

khaki54 3y ago

Perchlorate can interfere with iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. It is used as a drug to combat hyperthyroidism. It also occurs naturally and is continually produced in the atmosphere. There is no maximum contaminate level goal (MCLG) set and thus no maximum level set for groundwater. They did setup some interim guidance back in 2008, and advised 15ppb. Overall, doesn't look super dangerous.

spondylosaurus 3y ago

I have a bunch of those air purifiers that auto-adjust their fan speed when they detects poor quality air + I live in a place with very permissive laws around fireworks... and the purifier under my kitchen window was going crazy last night. You'd hear a big pop over the roof, five seconds pass, and then the purifier would kick up a notch for the next minute or so. Repeat until the neighbors' firework stash ran out.

DueDilligence 3y ago
[dead]
Scoundreller 3y ago
I wish cars had this to turn on recirc when passing by a sewage plant or otherwise high pollution levels. Cars could make great mass pollution scanners, but I doubt anyone but an all-electric firm would even think of implementing this.

elijahbenizzy 3y ago

I honestly believe we should ban fireworks and firework shows across the country. Not only are they (apparently) bad for the environment and likely to cause wildfires*, have the potential to trigger PTSD**, but they also make the large majority of dogs terrified for at least two nights of the year. As humans, our symbiotic relationship with dogs is one of our greatest assets -- we owe them better than this. Drone shows + music are just as cool. * https://www.readyforwildfire.org/more/fireworks-safety/ https://www.readyforwildfire.org/more/fireworks-safety/ * https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/fireworks-spark-dozens-of-bay-area-fires/ https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/fireworks-spark-dozens-o... * https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety/fireworks https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety... ** https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/fireworks_ptsd.asp https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/fireworks_ptsd.asp ** https://www.va.gov/hines-health-care/stories/how-your-fireworks-may-affect-americas-veterans/ https://www.va.gov/hines-health-care/stories/how-your-firewo...

aifooh7Keew6xoo 3y ago
Let's make thunderstorms illegal, they scare dogs too.
financypants 3y ago
The dogs argument is the weakest argument.
- elijahbenizzy 3y ago
  Strong disagree, but there is clearly an argument for everyone here :)
  - ysavir 3y ago
    They may not have meant weakest in the sense of "least valid", but rather "least likely to change minds". One of my cats gets freaked out by fireworks and I'd love to see a cessation of the tradition, but I fully acknowledge that fans of fireworks aren't likely to show any concern for the impact on pets.

Guzba 3y ago

From another study: "Perchlorate is an oxidizer used in fireworks. Though fireworks displays are held over Lake Biwa, which supplies water to Kyoto, the city’s water treatment process lacks the ability to remove perchlorate. This study investigated perchlorate contamination in source and tap water resulting from a fireworks display. During 2016, the perchlorate concentration in the source water increased to 22.3 μg/L during the 19 hours following the display and then decreased to ,0.5 μg/L during the 43 hours following the display. The perchlorate concentration in the tap water increased to 13.6 μg/L during the 35 hours following the display, and then gradually decreased... it took 11–29 days to decrease its concentration in tap water in Kyoto to <0.5 μg/L." Flow behavior of perchlorate from a source lake to a water supply tap following fireworks displays https://iwaponline.com/wpt/article/14/3/695/69039/Flow-behavior-of-perchlorate-from-a-source-lake-to https://iwaponline.com/wpt/article/14/3/695/69039/Flow-behav...

deviantbit 3y ago

[flagged]

rokkitmensch 3y ago

I love everything about fireworks. The explosions, the noises, the colors, the risk, the lighting-shit-on-fire... But I recently moved to a high desert/ski town where fireworks are largely banned, and outright dangerous to the entire city for about half the year, and I'm willing to accept this tradeoff for access to forests, mountains and streams. The local city launches the annual displays from the tallest butte in town, and there are neighborhood pools on which side of the butte will catch fire every year. The local FD uses that inevitable fire as a suppression exercise, which is nearly as entertaining as the fireworks display. I'm perhaps jaded though, in being willing to make this tradeoff. I worked for a few years in the downtown Austin office of a major tech co. right on the river. We'd congregate in the cafeteria and in the rooftop garden for eye-level firework viewing. It was absolutely glorious. Side anecdote: on NYE you could walk the garden perimeter and see fireworks at the horizon line in every direction. God Bless Texas.