Fireworks shows may have been canceled this year, but air quality shows plenty went off

If you felt like there were more fireworks going off in your neighborhood this year around the Fourth of July, you were probably right.

Air quality data is in and seems to indicate that plenty of fireworks went off around the holiday, despite the fact that all major public displays were canceled throughout Western Washington.

Local agencies say that particulate pollution was equivalent to previous years. Where did it all come from? (You know who you are.)

Andrew Wineke is with the Washington state Department of Ecology's Air Quality Program. He says they have a network of about 75 air quality monitoring sites which showed consistent results around the holiday.

"We saw this pattern around the state," Wineke said. "There were still pretty significant levels of air pollution associated with the fireworks on the fourth."

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency says their monitoring showed some of the highest concentrations of particulates recorded in lower-elevation areas around Puget Sound including Marysville, Kent, and Auburn.

Large fireworks displays common throughout the region were cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But sales of fireworks were still open in parts of the state.

Weather is always a factor when considering air pollution data. This year, an inversion locked air in place and contributed to the concentration of pollutants. Longer term analysis will reveal more, including the levels of heavy metals produced.