To ask PLEASE for your reassurance about fireworks tonight?

[Fearoffireworks]

Just took toddler to fireworks display and she loved it. We went to one last week too and I wasn't at all concerned, but tonight's were much closer range and very very smoky - thick clouds descending over everyone

I didn't really think much of it at the time until we were queuing to get out and we were commenting on the smell but I've since looked it up and quite logically of course, the smoke is full of carcinogens and fine particles. I've no idea how it compares to smoke from other sources but I'd imagine it's full of nasties

I know I'm probably being overly anxious and a one off exposure isn't significant but DD might have inherited a cancer predisposition disorder so I'm normally really careful to avoid anything toxic as far as possible especially while she's so little. I'd happily take her again to a display like last weekend at a distance but this was a lot of fireworks that seemed much closer.

She's fine of course and now wants to watch all the fireworks out of the window, she's so excited about it, but I am so worried and feel sick about it - knowing that cancerous changes normally appear decades later

No idea I'm afraid, but after 2 solid weeks of fireworks, and 4 days after 'firework night' I am sick to death of them

She'll be fine, OP :)

All sorts of things are (or can be) carcinogens in the right dose and level/duration of exposure. I wouldn't say it's impossible for one exposure to something to tip the balance, but I would guess it's very, very unlikely. Cancer is a multi-factor, multi-stage process. Predispositions (which are only odds raised above the general population's, not surefire guarantees) and 'hits' need to be balanced against protective factors, which, given how conscientious I'm certain you are, your dd probably has a lot of.

It might help you for me to tell you that I live in Germany, where NYE is a bit of a free-for-all fireworks-wise. It's entirely normal to go out into the street at midnight and let fireworks off, with your neighbours doing the same. Of course the air gets smoggy and smells. Presumably there are people with genetic predispositions who do this, but the vast majority of them are not going to get cancer attributable to this.

Thanks. Rationally, I'm sure you are right. She had a lovely time and I don't think it's right to restrict her life unless there is clear cause (although in future I think I'd only take her to a short display at a distance - or watch from our garden) but I wouldn't have taken her to these fireworks if I'd known there'd be this much smoke and thought about it beforehand. It sounds stupid but it was a noticeable difference.

As DH pointed out the display was at an infant school, and there were lots of kids and probably no other worried parents, but I guess I feel awful that I'm careful about all the little things like the air quality in her room and plastics near her food, and yet I happily carried her into a plume or toxic chemicals tonight!

She is very happy though chattering about the lights in the sky

Anyone else? I'm sure I'll have moved on by tomorrow but it's really got to me

She was born with another condition too and I think the anxiety of these two things makes me overthink things at times!

She’ll be fine. Cancer causing affects from stuff like that is more from repeated exposure over a length of time, rather than a couple of one off events outside in the open.

There’s usually a safe minimum distance stipulated at events and affects of smoke etc will be one of the things included in the calculations (on top of fire risk etc).