Abstract
Abstract. Fireworks degrade air quality, reduce visibility, alter atmospheric chemistry, and cause short-term adverse health effects. However, there have not been any comprehensive physicochemical and optical measurements of fireworks and their associated impacts in a Southeast Asia megacity, where fireworks are a regular part of the culture. Size-resolved particulate matter (PM) measurements were made before, during, and after New Year 2019 at the Manila Observatory in Quezon City, Philippines, as part of the Cloud, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes Philippines Experiment (CAMP2Ex). A high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) recorded a substantial increase in backscattered signal associated with high aerosol loading ∼440 m above the surface during the peak of firework activities around 00:00 (local time). This was accompanied by PM2.5 concentrations peaking at 383.9 µg m−3. During the firework event, water-soluble ions and elements, which affect particle formation, growth, and fate, were mostly in the submicrometer diameter range. Total (>0.056 µm) water-soluble bulk particle mass concentrations were enriched by 5.7 times during the fireworks relative to the background (i.e., average of before and after the firework). The water-soluble mass fraction of PM2.5 increased by 18.5 % above that of background values. This corresponded to increased volume fractions of inorganics which increased bulk particle hygroscopicity, kappa (κ), from 0.11 (background) to 0.18 (fireworks). Potassium and non-sea-salt (nss) SO42- contributed the most (70.9 %) to the water-soluble mass, with their mass size distributions shifting from a smaller to a larger submicrometer mode during the firework event. On the other hand, mass size distributions for NO3-, Cl−, and Mg2+ (21.1 % mass contribution) shifted from a supermicrometer mode to a submicrometer mode. Being both uninfluenced by secondary aerosol formation and constituents of firework materials, a subset of species were identified as the best firework tracer species (Cu, Ba, Sr, K+, Al, and Pb). Although these species (excluding K+) only contributed 2.1 % of the total mass concentration of water-soluble ions and elements, they exhibited the highest enrichments (6.1 to 65.2) during the fireworks. Surface microscopy analysis confirmed the presence of potassium/chloride-rich cubic particles along with capsule-shaped particles in firework samples. The results of this study highlight how firework emissions change the physicochemical and optical properties of water-soluble particles (e.g., mass size distribution, composition, hygroscopicity, and aerosol backscatter), which subsequently alters the background aerosol's respirability, influence on surroundings, ability to uptake gases, and viability as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN).
Highlights
Fireworks affect local populations through visibility reduction and increased health risks due to briefly elevated particulate matter (PM) levels
We address the following questions in order. (i) What are the conditions of the atmosphere during the study period in relation to aerosols, and how are these affected by firework emissions? (ii) What are the concentrations, mass size distributions, and morphological characteristics of different elemental and ionic species specific to fireworks, and how do these affect bulk aerosol hygroscopicity? The results of this work provide new data that can help address how past and ongoing firework emissions impact health, visibility, regional air quality, and biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and contaminants in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and, more broadly, for all other cities with major firework events
We begin with hourly PM2.5 mass concentration results for the study period to provide context for the spatiotemporal characteristics of fine particulates due to fireworks, their interaction with meteorology, and effects on aerosol optical properties
Summary
Fireworks affect local populations through visibility reduction and increased health risks due to briefly elevated particulate matter (PM) levels. Health effects are of major concern during firework periods based on both short- and long-term exposure. Diwali is a major firework festival in India, and it was shown that chronic exposure to three of the most prominent tracer species (Sr, K, and Ba) translated to a 2 % increase in health effects based on the non-carcinogenic hazard index (Sarkar et al, 2010). Short-term exposure to firework pollutants increases asthma risk, eye allergies, cardiovascular and pulmonary issues, cough, and fever (Moreno et al, 2010; Singh et al, 2019; Barman et al, 2008; Becker et al, 2000; Beig et al, 2013; Hirai et al, 2000). Knowing the various effects of firework emissions depends on knowing their physical, chemical, and optical properties
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