Firecracker Smoke and Your Lungs: Why Cough and Wheeze Spike After Diwali

Firecrackers sharply raise fine-particle pollution on Diwali night and for a day or more afterwards. This can trigger cough, wheeze and asthma attacks, especially in people who already have lung or heart disease.

Cough and wheeze rise after Diwali because firecracker smoke fills the air with fine particles and irritant gases that reach deep into the lungs. In a study of Indian cities, fine-particle pollution in Delhi rose by 353% on Diwali day compared with the day before, and the rise in Ahmedabad was about half as large. For most healthy people the effect is short-lived irritation. For people with asthma, COPD or heart disease, smoke can trigger a serious flare. Here is what the smoke does, who is most at risk, and how to protect your lungs.

What Does Firecracker Smoke Do to Your Lungs?

Burning firecrackers releases smoke made up of very fine particles, small enough to travel deep into the airways. The World Health Organization says exposure to fine particulate matter causes cardiovascular and respiratory disease, as well as cancers, and estimates that outdoor air pollution caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2019 (WHO, 2024).

In the short term, smoke irritates the lining of the nose, throat and airways, which brings on coughing, a scratchy throat and watery eyes. For people with asthma, smoke, air pollution and cold air are all recognised triggers (NHS, 2025), and Diwali in Kutch brings all three together on cooler November nights.

How Much Does Air Pollution Rise During Diwali?

A 2022 study measured festival pollution in several Indian cities. On Diwali day, fine particles (PM2.5) in Delhi rose by 353% compared with the day before Diwali, and the increase in Pune and Ahmedabad was about 50% of Delhi's. The researchers also found that the amount of pollution people breathed in stayed considerably high after Diwali in Delhi and Ahmedabad (Latha et al., 2022).

Ahmedabad is the closest of the studied cities to Kutch. We are not aware of a similar study for Gandhidham, and levels in any neighbourhood depend on the wind and on how many firecrackers are burst nearby. The pattern is what matters: the smoke peaks on Diwali night and can linger into the next day.

Illustration generated with AI.

Who Is Most at Risk From Diwali Smoke?

• People with asthma or COPD: smoke and pollution are common triggers for flares (NHS, 2025)
• People with heart disease: fine particles are linked to cardiovascular disease as well as lung disease (WHO, 2024)
• Young children and older adults, who are usually advised to take extra care
• People with allergic rhinitis, whose noses are already sensitive to irritants
• Anyone bursting crackers at close range, especially in narrow lanes or enclosed courtyards

How Can You Protect Your Lungs During and After Diwali?

• Stay indoors when the smoke is heaviest, usually Diwali night and the next morning, and keep windows closed during those hours.
• Keep your distance. Stand well back from crackers being burst, and away from the drift of the smoke.
• If you have asthma, keep your reliever inhaler with you, keep taking your regular preventer, and follow your asthma action plan.
• Avoid outdoor exercise, such as morning walks, while the air is still smoky.
• Do not burst crackers indoors or close to someone with asthma, a baby or an older person.

Illustration generated with AI.

How Can You Protect Children and Older Relatives on Diwali Night?

• Keep babies and young children indoors during the heaviest bursting, away from doors and windows that open onto the street.
• Keep an older relative's regular medicines and any inhaler within reach, and check on them through the evening.
• If a child with asthma starts coughing or wheezing at night, follow their asthma action plan and watch for the warning signs below.
• The next morning, clear firecracker debris with water and a mop rather than dry sweeping, so the dust and residue are not thrown back into the air.

Respirator masks are not designed to fit children (AirNow, 2020), so for children the main protection is staying indoors with windows closed while the smoke is heavy.

When Is a Cough After Diwali More Than Irritation?

See a doctor if a cough lasts more than three weeks, if you develop fever with breathlessness, or if you start wheezing for the first time after smoke exposure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related reading: lung and allergy care, early morning sneezing in Gandhidham, fever red flags.