National Geographic is slammed for suggesting July 4 fireworks are RACIST because their smoke ‘disproportionately targets communities of color’

• National Geographic marked Independence Day on Sunday with a tweet saying  smoke from fireworks causes disproportionate harm to communities of color 
• It cited a study assessing how air pollution affects communities in California
• Researchers suggested that law enforcement should crack down on illegal displays and bigger displays should be replaced by drone light shows
• National Geographic’s tweet was met with swift criticism from Twitter users
• Critics branded it unnecessarily divisive and decried the outlet for putting a damper on the holiday

National Geographic caused a stir by suggesting that Fourth of July fireworks are racist because their smoke disproportionately affects communities of color.

The publication marked Independence Day on Sunday by tweeting: ‘Scientists found that vulnerable people and communities of color are disproportionately exposed to air pollution from firework celebrations.’

The tweet included a link to an article about a study which found that communities of color and vulnerable populations with higher rates of asthma, older residents and children, are exposed to higher levels of smoke from firework displays than other groups.

The study published in May by researchers at the University of California‘s Irvine campus suggests that law enforcement should crack down on illegal displays and that municipal and corporate displays should be replaced by drone light shows.

National Geographic’s tweet was met with swift criticism from Twitter users who branded it unnecessarily divisive and decried the outlet for putting a damper on the holiday.