Mumbai-based NGO Awaaz Foundation has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, drawing his attention to the presence of banned chemical substances in green firecrackers, which are easily available in the market.
From 2018 to 2023, the NGO has been testing firecrackers and sharing their report with the state government on their chemical content and danger level. Green firecrackers are required to carry QR codes which identify that they are less polluting and do not contain banned chemicals.
“In furtherance of Awaaz Foundation’s earlier tests reported to your office by emails in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022, we once again tested chemical content of commonly available firecrackers and attach herewith our Report dated 3rd November 2023. Most of the tested crackers are labelled as ‘Green Crackers’. However, on testing, we found several of them contained Barium, a chemical banned by the Supreme Court of India, by an order dated 23rd October, 2018. Most of the crackers also contained other chemicals listed as hazardous in Schedule-I ‘List of Hazardous and Toxic Chemicals’ of the “Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules 1989" under the Environment Protection Act, 1986," states the letter.
The NGO further added: “The alternative to regular firecrackers available in the market are ‘Green Crackers’ which are reduced emissions crackers developed by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). They are legal in the market to be sold subject exclusion of banned chemicals in production of the ‘Green Crackers’. In the years 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022, in order to test the composition of the increased PM-2.5 levels of the Air Pollution generated by firecrackers, Awaaz Foundation tested commonly available firecrackers in a private laboratory. All these prior tests showed that these ‘Green Crackers’ contain banned chemicals."
In 2018, on testing, Awaaz Foundation found that many boxes did not bear QR codes at all. In the same letter, the foundation also mentioned that they downloaded a free app developed by NEERI. “We found every single QR code on such boxes as fake. The Hon’ble Supreme Court, by order dated 29th October 2021, referred to our tests and said that “it is reported that even under the guise of green crackers, banned chemicals firecrackers are being sold and there is a mislabelling on the boxes and even the QR codes provided on the boxes of green crackers are alleged to be fake," the NGO said.
The foundation has also requested the state government that as Mumbai is experiencing poor air, with increase in levels of PM2.5, these firecrackers will add to the pollution. They have requested for the firecrackers, including the fake green ones, to be withdrawn.
Comments
0 comment