Ammonium Nitrate: Fertilizer behind the Beirut Explosion
2020-08-06
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1Lebanese officials say ammonium nitrate, a substance used as fertilizer in agriculture, likely caused the massive explosion in Beirut.
2The explosion killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others on Tuesday.
3It flattened much of the port and damaged buildings across the capital city.
4Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored without safety measures for six years at the port.
5He added the government was "determined to investigate and expose what happened as soon as possible."
6In agriculture, ammonium nitrate fertilizer is released into the soil to help plant growth.
7Under normal conditions, the substance does not explode easily.
8Explosives experts say the Beirut explosion was likely caused by a fire at a storage of fireworks nearby.
9Boaz Hayoun works closely with the Israeli government on safety and issues involving explosives.
10He told the Associated Press, "Before the big explosion, you can see in the center of the fire, you can see sparks, you can hear sounds like popcorn and you can hear whistles."
11Hayoun said those are common signs of the burning of fireworks.
12Jeffrey Lewis, a missile expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, agreed.
13He said, "If you have a fire raging next to something explosive, and you don't put it out, it blows up."
14Ammonium nitrate has caused several earlier industrial explosions in countries including Germany, the United States and China.
15In 1921, a massive explosion involving ammonium nitrate at a chemical plant killed more than 500 people in Oppau, Germany.
16And, in 1947, a burning cigarette caused an explosion in Galveston, Texas as workers were loading the fertilizer into a ship.
17It killed 581 people and injured 3,500.
18More recently, 173 people were killed at a factory in Tianjin, China.
19That 2015 explosion involved ammonium nitrate and other chemicals.
20Witnesses to the event said it felt like an "atomic bomb" had hit.
21Ammonium nitrate has also been used in terrorist acts in the United States.
22A truck filled with the fertilizer exploded in New York City in 1993 at the World Trade Center.
23Kuwait-born Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of the bombing and is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.
24On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh, a former American soldier, left a truck in front of a federal office building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
25Inside the truck was a powerful bomb made out of fertilizer, fuel and other chemicals.
26McVeigh exploded the bomb killing 168 people.
27For these reasons, ammonium nitrate is a tightly controlled substance.
28Most countries bar its storage in areas near fuel and sources of heat.
29Much of the European Union also requires that calcium carbonate be added to ammonium nitrate because it makes the fertilizer less likely to explode.
30The United States strengthened its rules on storage and use of the substance after the Oklahoma City attack.
31Despite its dangers, Jimmie Oxley, a chemistry professor at the University of Rhode Island, said the use of ammonium nitrate is necessary as fertilizer for farming and as an explosive.
32She told the French news agency AFP, "We wouldn't have this modern world without explosives, and we wouldn't feed the population we have today without ammonium nitrate fertilizer."
33"We need ammonium nitrate, we just need to pay good attention to what we're doing with it," she said.
34I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Lebanese officials say ammonium nitrate, a substance used as fertilizer in agriculture, likely caused the massive explosion in Beirut. 2The explosion killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others on Tuesday. It flattened much of the port and damaged buildings across the capital city. 3Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored without safety measures for six years at the port. He added the government was "determined to investigate and expose what happened as soon as possible." 4In agriculture, ammonium nitrate fertilizer is released into the soil to help plant growth. Under normal conditions, the substance does not explode easily. 5Explosives experts say the Beirut explosion was likely caused by a fire at a storage of fireworks nearby. 6Boaz Hayoun works closely with the Israeli government on safety and issues involving explosives. He told the Associated Press, "Before the big explosion, you can see in the center of the fire, you can see sparks, you can hear sounds like popcorn and you can hear whistles." 7Hayoun said those are common signs of the burning of fireworks. 8Jeffrey Lewis, a missile expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, agreed. He said, "If you have a fire raging next to something explosive, and you don't put it out, it blows up." 9Previous explosions 10Ammonium nitrate has caused several earlier industrial explosions in countries including Germany, the United States and China. 11In 1921, a massive explosion involving ammonium nitrate at a chemical plant killed more than 500 people in Oppau, Germany. 12And, in 1947, a burning cigarette caused an explosion in Galveston, Texas as workers were loading the fertilizer into a ship. It killed 581 people and injured 3,500. 13More recently, 173 people were killed at a factory in Tianjin, China. That 2015 explosion involved ammonium nitrate and other chemicals. Witnesses to the event said it felt like an "atomic bomb" had hit. 14Ammonium nitrate has also been used in terrorist acts in the United States. 15A truck filled with the fertilizer exploded in New York City in 1993 at the World Trade Center. Kuwait-born Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of the bombing and is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. 16On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh, a former American soldier, left a truck in front of a federal office building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Inside the truck was a powerful bomb made out of fertilizer, fuel and other chemicals. McVeigh exploded the bomb killing 168 people. 17For these reasons, ammonium nitrate is a tightly controlled substance. Most countries bar its storage in areas near fuel and sources of heat. Much of the European Union also requires that calcium carbonate be added to ammonium nitrate because it makes the fertilizer less likely to explode. The United States strengthened its rules on storage and use of the substance after the Oklahoma City attack. 18Despite its dangers, Jimmie Oxley, a chemistry professor at the University of Rhode Island, said the use of ammonium nitrate is necessary as fertilizer for farming and as an explosive. 19She told the French news agency AFP, "We wouldn't have this modern world without explosives, and we wouldn't feed the population we have today without ammonium nitrate fertilizer." 20"We need ammonium nitrate, we just need to pay good attention to what we're doing with it," she said. 21I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 22Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English with additional reporting from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. Caty Weaver was the editor. 23________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25determine - v. to officially decide something because of evidence or facts 26expose - v. to reveal something 27spark - n. a short bright flash of burning material 28popcorn - n. corn in the form of yellow seed that burst open when heated 29rage - v. to happen in a destructive or intense way 30cigarette - n. a small roll of paper that is filled with tobacco and smoked