October 20, 2025

As festival lights and colors brighten the skies, a big question lingers: Are your firecrackers really green? Despite being marketed as eco-friendly, many people in India find it tough to tell if their fireworks are genuine or just the usual noisy, polluting kind. Why? Because few sellers and buyers know how to spot real green firecrackers, and rules on them are mostly on paper, not in real life. Green firecrackers were created by CSIR-NEERI in 2018 with one goal: to cut down on harmful dust and noise during celebrations. They are designed to release fewer bad particles, avoid harmful chemicals like barium, and are about 30% quieter. But spotting them needs a keen eye! Genuine green firecrackers have special CSIR-NEERI and PESO logos along with a QR code to prove they are authentic. Yet, many residents don’t see these marks at firework stalls. R. Mohan from Medavakkam shared his frustration: "The firecrackers I bought had no logo, and shopkeepers never talked about eco-friendly ones." In Tamil Nadu, though the government advises people to pick green firecrackers, there’s no strong action to ensure this happens. Others, like D. Aravinth from Valasaravakkam, found fireworks with the logo but felt clueless about their real benefits. "I've never seen any information about them, not even on social media," he said. This lack of awareness is a big hurdle. Experts warn that even green firecrackers add tiny ultrafine particles to the air, which can sneak deep into our lungs and blood, causing health risks. Public health expert Parth Sharma from New Delhi compares green firecrackers to 'healthier' versions of dangerous products like cigarettes that still carry risks. "One good thing is that heavy metals, which can cause cancer, are removed," said Sharma. But he warned, "The real problem in India is weak quality control and law enforcement. If medicines can be fake, nothing stops green firecrackers from being made like normal harmful ones. Prolonged exposure to particles may cause anemia, infertility, and tuberculosis." Adding to the mess, many find it tough to tell fake green firecrackers from real ones, as Vasanthi, a local resident, points out: "There’s no proper awareness campaign or effort to educate us." So, the next time you buy fireworks, do you know if they’re really green? The answer might surprise you, as this sparkling story of eco-friendly fireworks remains far from clear for many Indians.

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Tags: Green firecrackers, Air pollution, Csir-neeri, Eco-friendly fireworks, Public awareness, Tamil nadu,