Local doc wants to stop Cougar fireworks due to health concerns
By BRENDA SCHORY - bschory@kcchronicle.com
GENEVA – For years, the Kane County Cougars have entertained fans with postgame fireworks.
But a neighbor to Elfstrom Stadium, where the Cougars play, says 30 shows a season releases too many particles in the air and poses a health risk. The stadium is owned by the Kane County Forest Preserve.
Dr. Rodney Nelson, who has been campaigning against the fireworks for about 15 years, said a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine backs up his position. The ecological study, published this week, found that fine-particle air pollution lowers life expectancy.
The researchers found that concentrations of fine particulate matter – equivalent to one-twentieth of the width of a human hair – can travel deeply into the lungs and have been linked to the worsening of asthma and heart disease.
Fireworks, Nelson said, can release fine particles into the ambient air, affecting Geneva residents in neighborhoods near the stadium.
“One exposure can be lethal,” Nelson said. “Once again, the Kane County Forest Preserve will threaten my health and the health of my neighbors by creating ... fine particle pollution at least 26 times and four nights in a row at least twice.”
Nelson compared the gunpowder residue released from fireworks to burning leaves. The city and the county have banned leaf burning in deference to air quality and to protect people with breathing problems. Nelson said fireworks are no different.
“It’s dangerous for the people in the stadium who have cardiovascular lung disease or children with asthma," he said. "But few people go to 30 shows. My neighbors and I have no choice."
He said he would accept the risk posed by one exposure due to Fourth of July celebrations, but not from 30 pyrotechnics shows in a season.
“I’m willing to bend once a year. I’m not that radical,” he said.
Nelson has asked Geneva city officials to consider stopping the fireworks by having Fire Chief Stephen Olson not sign off on the permit.
Mayor Kevin Burns said officials will listen to Nelson – as they would to any resident’s concerns – and act if necessary.
“We admire Dr. Nelson’s passion and persistence,” Burns said. “And we encourage him to also share his thoughts with state officials and lawmakers who have regulatory authority to address this matter.”
Second Ward Alderman William Barclay said he would open Nelson’s concerns for discussion at a future city council meeting.
“I love fireworks as much as anybody else,” Barclay said. “I celebrate the Fourth of July and watch fireworks at Cougar stadium. I’d hate to not them have [fireworks] at a game. I think he has some legitimate health concerns. He presents some valid arguments why that is unheathy.”
Kane County Forest Preserve Executive Director Monica Meyers said cutting fireworks from the Cougars’ schedule would affect attendance.
Forest Preserve Chairman John Hoscheit added the Cougars are an asset to the community – and that includes their post-game fireworks.
“The public overwhelmingly supports their activities at the stadium,” Hoscheit said.
Olson said he does not have the legal right to block the fireworks permit based on Nelson’s health concerns. Under state law, Kane County issues the permit license for fireworks, but the fire department approves it because the area is within its fire protection district.
“It has to do with the distance of the audience from the launch site and size of the shells,” Olson said. “The launch site is safe if it meets the standards created by the National Fire Protection Association. Our job is to go out there and insure the site meets the standards.”
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Maggie Carson said Nelson raises interesting concerns. The IEPA already has a device to measure ambient air pollution, based in Elgin.
She said it is not likely the agency would put a monitoring device near the stadium to measure particulate matter from fireworks.
“What the Illinois EPA does is look at broader trends,” Carson said. “If there was an industrial park with a lot of pollution we might put a monitoring device there. But we would not measure a spike an hour after fireworks. We would not look at short-term issues, but those of a lifetime.”
Carson suggested that people with respiratory issues should close their windows when fireworks are used.
“If you have a lung ailment, it’s in your best interest to avoid any concentrated air pollution,” she said.
More information:
• The New England Journal of Medicine article Fine-Particulate Air Pollution and Life Expectancy in the United States is available at
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/360/4/376
• Indiana Department of Environmental Management at http://www.in.gov/idem/5499.htm
