Think again about bonfires

If you're considering making a bonfire over the upcoming Halloween, think again, writes Brian Byrne. It's a dangerous, reckless, and inconsiderate activity to those living nearby. It's also illegal.

After all that, if you're going ahead with your plans anyway, don't put tyres, plastics, or old soft furnishings on the pile, because the smoke will then contain toxins that can have serious consequences for the health of humans and animals. Not to mention our increasingly fragile local and global environments.

Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland has appealed to responsible adults at Halloween events to ensure the celebration is safe for all and that it causes as little environmental damage as possible. "The residue from burnt tyres can be very damaging to the environment," he says. "The only safe way to burn a tyre is in a concrete kiln with sophisticated filtration systems in place to neutralise toxins.” 

Even if you don't care about what your bonfire is doing to others, remember that YOU are on the front line of inhaling those toxins. Setting you up for cancers and other serious illnesses down the road when you've long forgotten the ‘fun’ of the flames.

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