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"Being the largest isn't the main point. We want to be the safest, the most creative, the most innovative and on the cutting edge, said George Zambelli Jr., chairman of Zambelli Fireworks, based in New Castle, Pa.

Zambelli is staging more than 800 July Fourth shows this year, including the one atop Mount Rushmore, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Saturday.

Perchlorate releases oxygen and speeds combustion in fireworks, but its smoke and ash can irritate lungs, leach into soil and linger in water, Zambelli said.

For the last three years, Zambelli Fireworks voluntarily has been working with its manufacturers in China to reduce the amount of perchlorate by half, Zambelli said, noting the company has developed perchlorate-free fireworks in silver and gold.

More work is needed with various oxiders to get the intense blues, greens and reds that pop with the use of perchlorate, Zambelli said.

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