Letter: We've outgrown personal fireworks
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Once again Vancouver residents are on the countdown to Armageddon. Our city and county addiction to fireworks revenues has prevented elected officials from acting in a responsible manner for the good of the majority. We are unique in the state in our failure as a major city to ban this toxic, dangerous and disturbing adolescent practice.
Fireworks contain heavy metals and toxic chemicals that are banned in the U.S. except for use in fireworks; they remain in the environment for decades, tracked into your home for your children to be exposed to for years and pollute the water table. They can have a profound toxic effect on a child's developing neurology even in small amounts. Noise is stress and sudden loud noise is extreme stress, harmful to all humans, animals and PTSD war veterans and especially those with health compromises.
To equate the juvenile practice of blowing things up while holding the city hostage for a week is not patriotic and has no justification. Fireworks were invented to recreate the chaos and fear of a battlefield experience. And now a war zone exists in our city that our elected officials have failed us on. Stop the insanity now.
Andre Marcel
Vancouver
