NGO Awaaz Foundation conducted chemical tests on firecrackers available in local markets on November 3. The results revealed that many of the so-called ‘green crackers’ contained banned chemical contents. Out of the 22 types of firecrackers tested, 14 were found to contain barium oxide (BaO), a hazardous substance banned by the Supreme Court in 2018. Most of the tested crackers also contained other chemicals listed as hazardous in Schedule-I, the ‘List of Hazardous and Toxic Chemicals’ under the ‘Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules 1989’ under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

Sumaira Abdulali, the convenor of NGO Awaaz Foundation, has written to the Maharashtra government and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, urging them to address the serious hazard to human health indicated by the test results. She said, “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 in an order dated October 23, 2018. Most of the crackers also contained other chemicals listed as hazardous under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.”