Picatinny researchers are working to remove the harmful chemicals barium nitrate and potassium perchlorate from the IM-28 baseline mixture and replace them with a chemical known as sodium ...

The EPA is now under court order to propose limits on perchlorate in drinking water by November 2025.

When ingested, perchlorate is absorbed by the thyroid gland in place of iodine, which can interfere with the production of thyroid hormone, an essential part of metabolism and mental development.

Around 67% of the 196 food samples tested had “measurable” levels of perchlorate, though a single serving of none of the foods exceeded the EPA’s recommended daily reference dose.

Perchlorate, which has contaminated many drinking water supplies from military and aerospace operations, can impair the function of the thyroid gland by blocking the intake of iodide.

Green-tinted fireworks get their color from the metal barium and burn thanks to the oxidizer perchlorate, the same chemical that NASA puts in the solid rockets used to launch astronauts into space.

Another study found perchlorate in groundwater and surface water, especially in the vicinity of fireworks manufacturing sites and fireworks display sites (ref).

Thankfully, perchlorate is no longer used by firework makers in India; the import of crackers containing perchlorate needs to be banned. Indian manufactures still use barium.

In a 2007 study, researchers found that perchlorate levels spiked more than 1000 times higher than normal in parts of a small Oklahoma lake within 14 hours after a Fourth of July fireworks show.

In particular, barium - which is responsible for the color green - is extremely poisonous in some forms. Mike Hiskey describes how his pyrotechnics company, DMD Systems, is addressing these concerns.

A chemical found in products as diverse as fireworks and food packaging, perchlorate can interfere with thyroid function as well as foetal brain development.