Awaaz Foundation flags fake QR codes and barium claim on Mumbai firecracker boxes

The information printed on boxes of firecrackers sold in Mumbai cannot be relied upon, Awaaz Foundation has said. Under the rules, a firecracker packet must carry its sound level, chemical constituents and QR code details, yet boxes without reliable information are being sold in the market.

According to the foundation, some packets have no QR code at all, while fake QR codes were found on others. It also claims that a separate chemical test found traces of barium. Barium is banned and is hazardous to health. The question is therefore no longer only about the noise of firecrackers, but also about the chemicals in them and the truthfulness of what is written on the labels.

Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday drawing attention to the issue. Firecrackers bought from a Mumbai market on November 3 had their sound levels tested on November 5 with the cooperation of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. The reports of these tests have been submitted to the Chief Minister. The foundation has been getting firecrackers separately tested for chemicals and heavy metals since 2012. It claims that the actual test results differ from the chemical constituents printed on the packets.

On noise, the picture has improved somewhat. When firecrackers were tested in 2006, sound was recorded at up to 144.9 decibels, while in 2026 the maximum level has fallen to 93 decibels. But the foundation says lower noise does not make firecrackers entirely safe.

The foundation also clarified that bursting firecrackers is prohibited in Mumbai's 110 silence zones. In addition, firecrackers cannot be burst in any area between 10 pm and 6 am. Given rising air pollution in Mumbai, the foundation has demanded strict enforcement of the rules from the sale of firecrackers to their actual use, and action against firecrackers that violate the rules. The letter also expresses fear that Mumbai's air quality could worsen further.