Barium is used in various industrial processes: oil industries, rubber/plastic industries. It's even used in some types of glasses, and also finds uses in fireworks. There are many ways barium could've found its way into the atmosphere, and it's quite possible this is only a localized phenomena. Of course in order to prove this a real scientific investigation will have to take place (many samples will need to be collected from various locations around the US, multiple samples, etc).
I'm sorry to break it to you, but some of you people are so needlessly chemophobic it's unreal! Do you know how bad the air quality gets after firework celebrations? Do you really know how many different metallic oxides/sulfides are left suspended in the atmosphere after such celebrations?
The concentration levels of barium mentioned in the video is very very low, and it's much too low to cause health problems.
[edit on 15-4-2009 by Aleilius]

