Fire crackers on public road - hearing damage?

Life Health & Fitness
1

From my apartment here in Da’an throughout the new years holiday I had been hearing now and then some type of firecrackers going off - it sounds like 100s going off at one time. I could tell they must be quite powerful, but since they never exploded nearby I didn’t actually realize just HOW powerful they were.

It is my understanding that firecrackers are illegal but apparently the law isn’t enforced. I always wondered where the explosions were happening and who was doing it. I asked a few local friends, but no one seemed to know anything about it.

Unfortunately I found out first hand a couple of days ago.

I was walking on one of the main streets on the way to Taipei 101. A loud explosion went off right behind me. It was so loud at first I thought it was a bomb, it felt like the ground shook and I literally jumped in fright. I can’t have been more than 9 meters away - it was exactly the same kind of firecracker chain, 100s going off at once, but I was right there as it happened. Afterwards, I felt pretty shaken up and couldn’t hear anything clearly - everything was muffled, as if I had been temporarily defeaned by the sound.

I looked behind me and saw three guys laughing and congratulating each other - I’m guessing these are the guys who did it. The air was so full of smoke it looked like the area was covered in fog. I was very surprised some apparently random individuals could get away with doing this on a public street. There were many other people on the street at the time as well.

I noticed soon afterwards a loud sirenlike sound in my head - tinnitus induced from the blast sound, apparently. It’s still there now and has not gone away since this happened. I was so close, I’m concerned about hearing damage. I had a friend in the past who ended up with permanent tinnitus just as the result of brief exposure to one extremely loud sound.

Has anyone else here experienced something similar, and and if so, did you eventually recover normal hearing? Did the tinnitus ever go away?

What kind of firecrackers are these that go off in a chain of hundreds and why are people setting these off on public roads? Surely they must be aware that they could potentially injure people in the area?

It occurs to me it may be a good idea to wear earplugs when going out over the new years holiday here, to protect one’s hearing in case you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

1 Like
2

Sorry, that sucks. I’d head to an ENT doctor at a major hospital near you. They must have a lot of experience with similar situations. I think the short answer is unfortunately it’s a part of life in Taiwan that isn’t going away. One relatively enlightened temple near me cancelled the firecrackers–and replaced them with speakers blaring firecracker sounds at about 120 db. Anyone living in Taiwan quickly develops a sixth sense of when they’re about to be lit and stays away if they’re smart.

5 Likes
3

that’s hilarious about the temple.

how do they develop this sense? Is there anything to look for that might warn you someone is about to do this? I was taken totally off guard.

1 Like
4

I never thought about it before. People huddling around things on on the ground near a celebration or at new years, I suppose. No secrets there I guess, especially considering you really always have to be highly alert walking around the streets in busy hours. Maybe you were just unlucky. People light them and run off.

Recently I went to Beitou to eat and there happened to be a big celebration in the narrow lanes, my wife made us turn around and split. Smart

3 Likes
5

I spot the red boxes.

1 Like
6

Loud sound definitely cause hearing damage. My dad has hearing damage and permanent tinnitus from firing guns without hearing protection in the military. Some of the firecrackers here sound like 9mm.

There’s a few types here it seems, there’s a so called “environmental firecracker” that doesn’t leave a bunch of confetti around, and they look like dragon eggs with a fuse inside. When the fuse burns past (and these are VERY fast paper fuses, burns like 100 meters per second or something) it lights the dragon egg and they’re quite loud and makes a huge stain in the ground. But dragon eggs contain lead (and I confirmed they use lead based dragon eggs here, I broke one open and it looks like lead tetroxide).

As fireworks is quite ingrained into the Chinese culture, laws are only there to “look good” but can’t be realistically enforced. It’s kinda like telling British people they can’t celebrate Guy Fawkes day. Heck even on the 4th of july I used to see a lot of fireworks in Austin, and fireworks is illegal in Austin.

My advise is visit a ENT doctor and get it checked out but if it caused permanent hearing damage I’m not sure what they can do. They couldn’t do a thing about my dad’s tinnitus for example. I’d say next time wear those bluetooth earbuds with noise cancellation. It won’t cancel out the noise but it will attenuate it enough to not cause hearing damage.

1 Like
7

That seems to be dying off, the media steer clear of it. Probably due to the air toxicity :joy:

8

I have seen these on the back of little blue trucks also.

1 Like
9

It just isn’t the same though…

10

I hate it. Maybe not as much as burning ghost money, which happens at many various points thru a calendar year. But the loud fire crackers are an abomination too. Even on the 20th F where I live, the noise from directly below on the street just after CNY was insanely loud buffeting up between the two high-rises that are on either side of the road. Not much one can do about it however. Part of the deal here it seems.

11

More likely due to the anti-Catholic sentiment associated with it. Halloween is more widely celebrated in recent years.
I was in Britain in the 1970s and Halloween was virtually uncelebrated, regarded as an American thing; now, I think it is becoming much more popular.

Speaking of firecrackers, reminds me that the Bombarding Han Dan Festival is coming up in Taitung.

12

It was big in my area, and would happen over 2 nights.
It was nothing like the American trick or treat thing as there was no “or” about it. 30th was mischief night or devils night, that’s probably what they would class as trick but it normally got out of hand. 31st was Halloween that’s was more a party with family and friends with candles, lanterns, apples, potato pie, telling ghost stories and spending the evening looking for ghosts.

13

What is catholic attitude towards Halloween?

Some evangelical churches essentially thinks Halloween is the devil, and won’t celebrate it or allow people to trick or treat.

14

It’s a catholic tradition, all hallows eve, they started it.

There was other traditions around for that time of year and they all have sort of got mixed up over the years.

15

I doubt it’s the Catholicism element of it (at least in my part of the UK) and not more that Halloween is a lot easier to market and sell crap products, like pumpkins, and blowing shit up in the sky cos it looks cool whilst getting pissed and having a laugh with strangers doesn’t fit with the “BBC News” image of what a British family should look like.

Saw a bloke the other day, on his own, riding his bike along the coast blaring some weird jungle music. This was about 12pm. He stopped on the beach, pulled out some roman candles and started blasting them into the sea.

Initially I thought it was a bit anti-social but then I appreciated the sheer lack of fucks given and he was just having a good time. Local kids and others stopped to watch from a safe distance. Once he was done, he rode off again. It was refreshing.

16

Roman candle is the only way I’ll ever be able to shoot a gun without going back to the army.

It has a little bit of kick.

17

That too!

18

Yeah, neo-pagans and Wiccans have lately tried to claim its origins, but it was (mostly) Catholic.

George Washington put the boots in on Guy Fawkes’ Day in 1775.

As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form’d for the observance of that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope–He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense, as not to see the impropriety of such a step at this Juncture; at a Time when we are solliciting, and have really obtain’d, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada, whom we ought to consider as Brethren embarked in the same Cause. The defence of the general Liberty of America: At such a juncture, and in such Circumstances, to be insulting their Religion, is so monstrous, as not to be suffered or excused; indeed instead of offering the most remote insult, it is our duty to address public thanks to these our Brethren, as to them we are so much indebted for every late happy Success over the common Enemy in Canada.

19

or Oulantide as my great grandma used to say, it was only years after she passed when talking to my mother and gran that I found out she was saying Hollantide or Allantide with a strong accent.