Abstract

Flash Powder is now replacing most of the traditional uses that black powder has been reserved for more than a millennium. This is because Flash Powder has significantly better performances for the same quantity and cost. Unfortunately, the advent of Flash Powder in the industrial pyrotechnics sector has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in accidents, in most cases assessed without too much certainty regarding the causes. However, one consideration is undoubted: either all Italian pyrotechnicians have stopped implementing normal precautions or some new risk factor has arisen. In this work, we provide a brief summary of what Flash Powder is and the possible causes that can lead to more or less dramatic accidents. Furthermore, we decided to characterize a commercial aluminium powder to warn craftsmen about the risks and dangers they may encounter using certain types of very fine dust.

Keywords:Aluminium; Flash powder; Explosion; Firework