NFA Proposal Gets Pushback from Other Fireworks Groups

The American Fireworks Standards Laboratory (AFSL) and American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) September 5 and 9 reiterated their support for metal powder restrictions. This came in pushback against the recent proposal by the National Fireworks Association (NFA). They even questioned if the NFA ideas (PSL, 9/2/19) simply were restatements of existing positions rather than a compromise.

They were especially concerned with the combined effects of not limiting metal composition while also getting rid of the "ear test," suggesting that doing both would eliminate workable ways to limit explosive energy.

They relatedly deemed an NFA idea on pyrotechnic composition weight limits to have questionable likely effectiveness. The problem behind rises in injuries and deaths is the increased use of fine mesh metal, they asserted, so it should be limited, a point they made in late March (PSL, 4/1/19).

They rejected concern that a metal limit would push makers to use other materials, saying that higher costs and instability during production make switches undesirable. Indeed, metal's benefits in those areas are why it is used, they said.