fourth of july fireworks

Want to wow your neighbors this Saturday with some bright and cheery Fourth of July trvia? Tell them about the dangers of perchlorate, the molecule that helps fireworks burn longer. According to experts at DMD Systems who study explosive materials, the molecules are not only harmful to the environment, but to humans as well–-and repeated exposure poses health risks.

The good news is that scientists are developing new “green” fireworks--as in environmentally sound, not the color--that burn nitrogen-based fuels. They also use less smoke and contain fewer toxins.

Technology may have made a big bang with the ancient art of fireworks over the past two decades, but its biggest is yet to come. So says Phil Grucci, 38, whose family name has become synonymous with American pyrotechnics, lighting up the sky for the past six presidential inaugurals and this year's Salt Lake City Olympics. Next year, preceding the launch of the world's biggest shell,
Grucci will use dozens of precisely timed shells to create the first 10-to-1 countdown in the sky.