Or, this discrepancy might mean that the material inside the warehouse was not pure ammonium nitrate, and some other compound was involved with the blast. Some internet rumors speculate that because the ammonium nitrate was left to sit in a warehouse for several years, it would have degraded, becoming more volatile and increasingly dangerous over time.
A more likely explanation is that the ammonium nitrate in Beirut was not alone inside the warehouse. Given the reported amount, Oxley hypothesizes that a vehicle must have been used to carry the compound inside, and that could have contaminated it with oil or gasoline. Even a small amount of contamination would have made the ammonium nitrate more likely to detonate. Though Lebanese authorities have said ammonium nitrate was the culprit in the blast, Lewis notes that in many cases commercial explosives are referred to as just this compound even though they contain additives.
Reconstructing exactly what went wrong in Beirut will be difficult, but Chavez says officials should look for evidence of improper storage, confinement, contamination, lack of ventilation, and potential sources of ignition. Such investigations may take time. Lebanon was already dealing with political and financial woes , due in part to the Syrian migration crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. There are also longer-term effects to consider.
Moreover, the decomposition of ammonium nitrate can create byproducts known as nitrogen oxides, which are known to cause respiratory distress. All rights reserved. Science News. A large explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut on August 4. The blast, which rattled entire buildings and broke glass, was felt across the city. This article has been updated to include the temperature required to detonate pure ammonium nitrate.
The story was originally published on August 6. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets.
However, as we witnessed in Beirut, the explosive was exactly the same molecule as fertilizer, ammonium nitrate. As the ammonia produced by petrochemistry can be used to make explosives as well as to fertilize soils, calculations of the number of people fed by the Haber-Bosch process should also perhaps take into account those killed in armed conflicts in the course of the 20th century.
Another link to explosives is that the same molecule used for fertilizers can be used to produce other explosives when mixed with a small amount of fuel oil.
This combination has been used for criminal and terrorist attacks , but also legally. More pertinent today, climate change is causing not only heat waves and flooding, but increased numbers of people are suffering from air pollution , which reduces life expectancy.
Sources include fossil fuel burning and excessive fertilizer use. Excessive heat is also associate with decreased life expectancy. Air conditioning can relieve heat stress during heatwaves, but the inequal access to cooling leads to a form of social injustice.
In fact, the Haber-Bosch process contributes two-fold to global warming. Production of ammonia from natural gas produces methane. So production of fertilizers, their use in the soil and livestock husbandry all contribute to climate change. As the cannon shots resonate, they remind us that Napoleon invaded Russia that year. The devastating blasts come as Lebanon experiences severe economic turbulence, with many people taking to the streets in recent months to protest the financial situation.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared that Wednesday would be a national day of mourning for the victims of the explosion. Thousands of protesters took to the streets four days after the explosion, blaming the blast on government corruption and mismanagement boiling. Protesters demanded government resignations and fresh elections, with many occupying government ministries.
Police responded with tear gas. Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad became the first government minister to resign in the wake of the blast, five days after it took place. She apologized to the people of Beirut for failing them. Visit the new DW website Take a look at the beta version of dw. Go to the new dw. More info OK. Wrong language? Change it here DW. COM has chosen English as your language setting. COM in 30 languages. Deutsche Welle.
Audiotrainer Deutschtrainer Die Bienenretter. News Beirut explosion: What makes ammonium nitrate so dangerous? Read more: 'Apocalyptic' scenes as Lebanon reels from trauma and rage The blast was so powerful that it could be heard in Cyprus, about kilometers miles to the west, media reported. The shockwave is produced from compressed air, he explains.
When ammonium nitrate explodes, it can release toxic gases including nitrogen oxides and ammonia gas. The orange plume is caused by the nitrogen dioxide, which is often associated with air pollution. With such a powerful blast, ammonium nitrate has been used by armies around the world as an explosive. It has also been used in several terrorist acts, including the Oklahoma City bombing in In that instance, Timothy McVeigh used two tonnes of ammonium nitrate to create a bomb which destroyed a federal building and killed people.
Rescue workers search rubble after deadly Beirut blast. Dozens dead and thousands injured in Beirut blast.
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