ammonium nitrate

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Latest Death Tied to Takata Airbag Inflators Is US' 28th

Alabama fatality took place in 2004 Honda Civic that got into a high-speed crash

(Newser) - Another death has been linked to dangerous Takata airbag inflators by US regulators, the 28th in the United States. The driver was killed in 2018 in Alabama in a Honda vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said, without further details, per the AP . The agency says the death underscores...

Lebanon's Leaders Received Dire Warning 3 Weeks Ago

Report, letter warned Beirut could be leveled if chemicals weren't secured

(Newser) - Security officials warned Lebanon's president and prime minister that the 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut's port could explode, destroying the city, just two weeks before that more or less happened. That's according to Reuters , which got its hands on a state security report...

Port Officials Under House Arrest in Wake of Beirut Blast

As news of a letter warning that reportedly warned of the danger emerges

(Newser) - Investigators began searching through the wreckage of Beirut’s port Wednesday for clues to the cause of the massive explosion that killed 135 as it ripped across the Lebanese capital, and the government ordered port officials put under house arrest amid speculation that negligence was to blame. The investigation is...

Pentagon's 'Holy Grail': A Bomb You Can't Blow

Scientists test different types of ammonium nitrate fertilizer

(Newser) - Ammonium nitrate fertilizer is necessary in Afghanistan and Pakistan to keep people from starving—but it's also a primary ingredient in more than 60% of bombs made by the Taliban. To find a solution to the conundrum, Pentagon scientists are searching for what the Washington Post describes as a...

Explosive in Texas Plant Blast Revealed

West Fertilizer expected to file for bankruptcy

(Newser) - As expected, investigators have confirmed that the explosive behind the West Fertilizer plant blast last month was ammonium nitrate. However, they still don't know how it was ignited—the investigation will take another one to two weeks to determine that, the AP reports. As you may recall, the plant...

What Texas Plant Didn't Reveal to Homeland Security

'A god awful amount of ammonium nitrate'

(Newser) - A lack of sprinklers and fire walls wasn't the only safety issue at the Texas fertilizer plant that exploded, killing at least 14 and injuring hundreds, on Wednesday: West Fertilizer had failed to report the 270 tons of ammonium nitrate it was storing to the Department of Homeland Security,...

Texas Plant Told State It Could Not Explode

Governor Perry requests federal state of emergency

(Newser) - News outlets are digging into the West Fertilizer plant's regulatory filings and finding that, in light of the explosion that may have killed as many as 15 people and injured about 160, the plant might have undersold the risks a tad. While the company did tell regulators it had...

Huge Cache of Bomb Material Seized in Afghanistan

Coalition troops find a half-million pounds of ammonium nitrate

(Newser) - Coalition forces discovered an enormous cache of bomb-making material Sunday in Kandahar, seizing 500,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer illegal in the country and widely used in homemade bombs. A single bomb requires only 60 pounds of the substance, meaning the discovery will prevent thousands of bombs from...

SC Teen Busted in 'New Columbine' Plot

Student plotted school suicide bombing

(Newser) - South Carolina police have foiled a student's suicide bomb attack on a high school, timed to coincide with the ninth anniversary of the Columbine school massacre, officials said. The 18-year-old senior was arrested after his parents discovered 10 pounds of explosive chemicals, a year-long journal  and detailed plans for a...

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