{
  "id": 18330171,
  "title": "Diwali Firecrackers Record Lowest Noise Levels In 20 Years, Testing Reveals Significant Drop In Sound Pollution",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/diwali-firecrackers-record-lowest-noise-levels-in-20-years-testing",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-05T15:37:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/diwali-firecrackers-record-lowest-noise-levels-in-20-years-testing-reveals-significant-drop-in-sound-pollution"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mumbai: Diwali firecrackers recorded their lowest noise levels in 20 years, according to a test conducted by the Awaaz Foundation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Out of 17 samples examined, all were below 100 decibels, a sharp drop from the previous peak of 142.6 dB in 2006. The assessment also found gaps in compliance with environmental guidelines, chemical composition disclosure, and mandatory QR coding among manufacturers. While some brands failed to print decibel limits on their packaging, others used undisclosed chemical formulations.",
  "summary": "Mumbai: Noise levels from Diwali firecrackers being sold this year are the lowest recorded in the 20 years since testing began, according to a joint assessment by anti-noise campaigner Awaaz Foundation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). The tests found that noise levels from all 17 firecrackers sampled were below 100 decibels (dB), a significant decline from the highest level of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}