I can't say I find pyrotechnics critical to creating a good atmosphere. Equally though, at games I've attended where flares or smokebombs have gone off, their effects have been easily avoidable and not overly bothersome. There are probably millions of aspects of 'the matchday experience' that are more of a health hazard (the standard of the catering or toilets at some grounds, for example, or large crowds of people gathered together at the height of the winter flu season).
I also have some sympathy with young people who find that many of their leisure activities - including watching football, but also things like dance music, or festivals or even pursuits as mundane as skateboarding or jumping in the sea - are becoming increasingly commercialised, sanitised and controlled. There's nothing surprising or new or especially unhealthy about teenagers and 20somethings getting a buzz out of doing something they perceive to be transgressive. The debate about pyrotechnics is a bit pointless because they're not going to be unbanned any time soon, but these age groups are key to Argyle's future and we need to think about how to accommodate the way that they want to watch football, as well as other demographics.