Banning the use of barium and other banned chemicals in firecrackers

Context- The Supreme Court made it clear that its order banning the use of barium and other banned chemicals in firecrackers applies to the entire country,  not just the Capital Region.

SC orders on firecrackers 

• In October 2018, the Supreme Court banned the manufacture and sale of all biscuits except “green biscuits” and low emission (advanced biscuits). 
• This also: 
  • banned the manufacture and sale of “combined cookies” (long rows of cookies joined together), 
  • banned the use of barium salts in fireworks and 
  • said that their noise level should be within permissible limits.  
• In 2020, the National Green Tribunal banned the sale and use of all types of firecrackers in NCR.  
• It says green crackers are only allowed in cities with moderate to poor air quality. In September 2023, the Control Board rejected a petition from the Spitfire Manufacturers Association: 
  •  for the use of combined cookies and 
  •  add barium with advanced toppings to green cookies. 

What is a firecracker made of? 

• Ingredients 

• • • Firecrackers usually consist of four main ingredients – oxidizer, fuel, dyes and binder. 
    • An oxidizer is needed to ignite a cracker to catch fire; 
    • fuel keeps fire going; 
    • dyes give it colors and shine; 
    • the binder holds this mixture in place until the cracker has worn off. 

• Colouring agents

• • Chemicals such as barium are Colouring agents. 
  • They were banned because they had adverse effects on human health such as  respiratory irritation, skin allergies, breathing problems and even cancer.  
  • The white color of the biscuit is released through aluminum, magnesium and titanium, while the orange color is carbon or iron. 
  • Yellow substances are also sodium compounds, while blue and red substances are copper and strontium carbonates.  
  • The green substance is barium monochloride salts or barium nitrate or barium chlorate.  

Green crackers

• About 

• • • Green crackers are so called because they do not contain harmful chemicals that  cause air pollution. 
    • Firecracker components are replaced by others that are less dangerous and less harmful to the atmosphere.  
    • These crackers release less harmful chemicals and also release water vapor which acts as a dust suppressant.

• Research done by

• • • The idea of ​​making green cookies was explored by a network of CSIR laboratories including the Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, National Botanical Research Institute and National Chemical Laboratory. 

• Categories

• • The three broad categories of such crackers are SWAS, SAFAL and STAR developed by CSIR.  
  • SWAS stands for “safe water releaser” and has a small pocket of water  that is released as steam when the cracker bursts. It suppresses dust. 
  • STAR or Safe Termite Cracker is potassium nitrate and sulfur free and emits fewer particles in a smaller volume. 
  • SAFAL is a safe minimum aluminum that uses as little aluminum as possible and uses magnesium instead. It also makes less noise than traditional crackers.

Source: Indian Express

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