Fireworks Send Barium Soaring 1000-Fold as Particles Transform Within Hours

Fireworks during the 2024 Spring Festival in Guangzhou, China, released barium that spiked in the air at peaks up to 1,000 times above background levels, according to a study published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Using continuous online measurements of barium mass concentrations and single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SPAMS) at four sites from 1 to 29 February 2024, researchers tracked how the metal-rich particles changed after dispersal. Barium mass increased 17 to 40 times versus background during the Spring Festival on 9–10 February, while potassium rose 9 to 23 times and chloride 2 to 3 times. Hourly peaks averaged about two orders of magnitude higher. Peaks were highest at Panyu University City (3411 ng/m³ barium), not the city core where fireworks are banned.