This experiment enlightens students on the use of environmental indicators and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and demonstrates the ability of these monitoring tools to measure metal deposition in environmental samples (both as a result of lab-simulated and real events). In this two-part study, the initial experiment is designed to simulate the metal pollutants that originate from sparklers (small-scale fireworks). Two environmental indicators, surface water and Spanish moss ("Tillandsia usneoides"), are exposed to a lit sparkler in a closed container. The Spanish moss is subsequently microwave digested, and both samples are analyzed for 16 elements by ICP-AES. In part two, the metal content is analyzed in real samples taken from the environment (topsoil and surface water) surrounding the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch pads before and after a shuttle launch. Students learn several fundamental concepts including atomic spectroscopy, biomonitoring, microwave digestion, matrix interferences, matrix-matching, detection limits, and the standard additions method. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)