Green Crackers

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    Recently, the Chandigarh government has allowed the use of green crackers.

    About 

    • Three Categories of Green Crackers: developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
      • SWAS (Safe water releaser)
        • Have a small water pocket/droplets which get released when burst, in the form of vapour.
        • Suppresses the dust released by releasing water vapour in the air. 
        • Does not comprise potassium nitrate and sulphur and the particulate dust released will reduce approximately by 30 percent.
      • STAR (Safe thermite cracker)
        • Does not comprise potassium nitrate and sulphur, 
        • Emits reduced particulate matter disposal and reduced sound intensity. 
      • SAFAL (Safe minimal aluminium)
        • Has minimum usage of aluminium, and used magnesium instead. 
        • Ensures reduction in sound in comparison to traditional crackers.
    • Advantages of Green crackers
      • Reduction in size of shell,
      • Elimination of ash usage, 
      • Reduced usage of raw materials, uniform acceptable quality, etc.,
      • Leading to reduction of particulate matter and gaseous emission.
    • Different from Traditional Crackers: 
    • Green crackers cause 30 percent less air pollution as compared to traditional ones. 
    • Green crackers reduce emissions substantially and absorb dust and don’t contain hazardous elements like barium nitrate. 
    • Permission to Use:
      • According to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), green crackers are permitted only in cities and towns where air quality is moderate or poor.
    • Guidelines to choose the Right Green Cracker:
      • Buy green crackers only from licensed sellers.
      • Identify through the CSIR NEERI logo. 

    Chemicals in Traditional Crackers

    • White color – aluminium, magnesium and titanium
    • Orange colour –  carbon or iron. 
    • Yellow agents – sodium compounds 
    • Blue and red – copper compounds and strontium carbonates. 
    • Green agent – barium mono chloride salts or barium nitrate or barium chlorate.

    Impacts

    • Lead in crackers impact the nervous system;
    • Copper triggers respiratory tract irritation, 
    • Sodium causes skin issues and magnesium leads to mental fume fever. 
    • Cadmium not just causes anemia but also damages the kidney.
    • Nitrate is the most harmful that causes mental impairment. The presence of nitrite causes irritation in mucous membrane, eyes and skin. 

    Source: IE

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