Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. The small nation hosts 1 million Syrians displaced by a civil war, and many Lebanese have not only lost their jobs but their entire savings because of a currency crisis. What is ammonium nitrate? That's what we initially thought ... then the second blast happened, and all the glass shattered in my house," said Hussein Al Haq, 22, who lives on the outskirts of Beirut. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula NH 4 NO 3.It is a white crystalline solid consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate.It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates.It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer. Ammong many, the disaster has only fuelled anger at a government already widely seen as inept, corrupt and beholden to sectarian interests. Lebanese Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi told a TV station that it appeared the blast was caused by the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse since it was confiscated from a cargo ship impounded in 2013. Shortly after Tuesday's blast, the director of customs at the port, Badri Daher, published a letter he said he had sent in December 2017 to a Lebanese prosecutor, claiming it was one of many he had sent to the judiciary over the stored chemicals. If the ammonium nitrate in Beirut was stored in wooden or cardboard containers, it would have made the substance incredibly flammable, says Jimmie Oxley, a chemist at … According to Lebanese law firm Baroudi & Associates, which represents the vessel's crew, the Rhosus ship had faced "technical problems". An Instagram page called “Locating Victims Beirut” shows photos of missing people, and the names of the missing or wounded were read on the radio Tuesday night. Literature References. ... they burn with enough heat to melt your aluminium mess cans if you're not careful. On paper, ammonium nitrate is highly regulated in India. What is ammonium nitrate? 9H 2 O. Chemically, it's not at all surprising that ammonium nitrate can detonate. Synonym : Chile saltpeter, soda niter, Sodium saltpeter, Nitric acid, Rescue workers in Lebanon are searching for dozens of people missing a day after a huge explosion devastated the port area of the capital, Beirut. It is also used as a nitrating agent and textile mordant. Only small amounts of contaminants are required to act as a catalyst, explaining the unpredictability of AN under fire conditions. The explosion comes at a sensitive time for Lebanon, with an economic crisis reigniting old divisions as the country struggles with the coronavirus crisis. It has since been established that the explosion was caused by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (AN) stored at the port. Many others remain missing. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. All high thickness aluminium 5754 are tested with ultrasonic equipment to ensure no cracks or impurities. Ammonium nitrate is a crystal-like white solid which is made in large industrial quantities. Food and water consumption and urine volume were measured daily. The agency also noted the walls of the warehouse were unsound, urging the port authorities to repair them. The ammonium nitrate appears to have been confiscated from a commercial cargo ship abandoned in Beirut in 2013, allegedly with a Russian owner, and then confiscated by the Lebanese authorities a year later; it's origins linked to former Soviet republic, Georgia. Lebanon Beirut: August 4, 2020: 204 2,750 2020 Beirut explosion: On August 4, a major fire broke out in a Port of Beirut warehouse and spread to 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate which had been impounded and stored for six years after it was seized from an abandoned ship in 2014. Chemical Product and Company Identification Product Name : Sodium nitrate Catalog Codes : SLS1102, SLS3946, SLS1726 CAS# : 7631-99-4 RTECS : WC5600000 TSCA : TSCA 8(b) inventory: Sodium nitrate CI# : Not available. Video: Massive explosion hits Beirut port area (Reuters). In 2013, ammonium nitrate caused a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas. TAZCHEM's key product, Aluminium Sulphate, is available in a variety of forms, namely: granular, powder, kibble, solution, iron free powder and iron free granular. "I'm still covered in blood. In 2013, around 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate came into Lebanon on board the Rhosus ship, sailing from Georgia and bound for Mozambique, a security official told AFP, asking not to be named because he is not authorised to speak on the issue. On the periodic table, it has the symbol Al and the atomic number 13. A security source said the explosive power of the stored ammonium nitrate was equivalent to at least 1,200 tonnes of TNT -- explaining how the earthquake-strength blast destroyed or damaged so much of the city. Process. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. Aluminium nitrate trade is common in places like Singapore, U.A.E. The head of Lebanon’s customs department says one of the country's main security agencies reported to the Cabinet in the past year about the danger from explosive chemicals being stored at … Ammonium nitrate, which is used in fertilizers and bomb making, is a salt made from ammonium and nitric acid, and it is highly explosive. Lebanese officials say that thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port in Beirut caused the powerful explosion that … Ammonium nitrate was the explosive material used in the roadside bombs that wounded and killed so many Israeli soldiers between the First and Second Lebanon Wars. The catastrophic explosion at Beirut port on Tuesday evening (August 4) that has so far killed at least 100 people and injured around 4,000, with an unknown number feared trapped under rubble was, according to the government of Lebanon, caused by over 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate … It is a white crystalline, water-soluble salt with a molecular weight of 375.15 g/mol. He said five similar letters were sent in 2014, 2015 and 2016. It melts at 73 o C and decomposes at 150 o C. It is an odourless material and will react explosively upon contact with organic compounds. The blast took lives of more than 150 people whereas around 5000 people were injured because of … The 2017 letter from the customs chief to a judge could not be immediately confirmed. According to emails exchanged by Prokoshev and a Beirut-based lawyer Charbel Dagher, who represented the crew in Lebanon, the ammonium nitrate was unloaded in … The half-destroyed silos at the port housed about 85% of the nation's grain. Sci. Global production was estimated at 21.6 million tonnes in 2017. Gradually, amid panic, victims flooding overcrowded hospitals, wounded bodies having to walk kilometers before reaching a medical center, and ruins across kilometers on end, the most absurd of all scenarios prevailed. The government said most imports will have to come through Tripoli, Libya. Mater. Food security is also a concern. Lebanon discovered more than four tons of ammonium nitrate, the chemical responsible for August's deadly explosion, near Beirut's port. Strong oxidizer and contact with combustible material may lead to fire. On Tuesday, the Port of Beirut was blown off the map by an explosion so big it shook the entire capitol city of Lebanon. Fireworks and ammonium nitrate appear to have been the fuel that ignited a massive explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, experts and videos of the blast suggest. Following the blast, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that it was caused by around 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that was stored near the city’s cargo port. But authorities did not heed the warning. With Tuesday's blast damage extending across half the Lebanese capital, the burning questions on everyone's mind are: how did so much ammonium nitrate get to Beirut in the first place and why was it stored at the port for so long? The Lebanon Prime Minister says the explosion was caused by 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse. Lebanon; Update: Massive Blasts May Have Been Sparked By 2,700 Tons of Improperly Stored Ammonium Nitrate at Beirut Port. What is ammonium nitrate? In Beirut’s hard-hit Achrafieh district, civil defense workers and soldiers worked to locate missing people and clear the rubble. Literature References. Aluminium nitrate was administered in the drinking water of four groups of 10 female SD rats for one month at the following doses: 0, 375, 750, or 1500 mg/kg bw/day. There was a blast in a port in Beirut on August 04 and the reason for this has been attributed to the presence of aluminium nitrate in one of the warehouses in the area. What happened in Beirut, Lebanon? Commenting on whether there will likely be remaining health impacts of exposure: Prof Andrea Sella, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, UCL, said: “I don’t think there is any significant hazard. For at least six years, hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which Lebanese authorities say caused Tuesday's massive blast, were negligently stored in a … Three of his own relatives had to be treated in his hospital Tuesday night. As a result of the decomposition reactions of AN, the risk of an explosion is increased by heating AN in combination with The odourless crystalline substance commonly used as a fertiliser has caused numerous industrial explosions over the decades -- including the massive one in Beirut that killed at least 113 people, wounded thousands and left 300,000 homeless. ... Christodoulides said private companies have responded to an appeal to provide quantities of aluminium and glass that Lebanon needs to rebuild. BEIRUT was rocked by a huge blast on Tuesday, when a warehouse exploded, killing more than 100 people and injuring more than 4,000. In the 2017 letter, he allegedly requested the dangerous chemicals be exported or sold to a local Lebanese company after the army had said it had no use for them, but neither suggestion materialised. Much of downtown was littered with damaged cars, mounds of debris and shattered glass, which shopkeepers tried to clean up. © 2021 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Aluminum nitrate is imported into Canada in very small quantities. International aluminium nitrate chemical supplier and distributor by Tradeasia International. Lebanese port authorities and customs officials knew the chemical was being stored in the port, and one of the country's top security agencies had called for it to be relocated after launching a probe last year, several security officials told AFP. Notes. Ammonium nitrate, which Lebanese authorities have said caused the devastating Beirut explosions, is an odorless crystalline substance commonly used … the oxidising nitrate ion in intimate contact with the fuel element, the ammonium ion. A senior U.S. Defense Department official and a member of the U.S. intelligence community told The Associated Press there were no indications the explosion was the result of an attack by either a nation state or proxy forces. Several security officials told AFP that it temporarily docked at the port but was later seized by authorities following a lawsuit filed by a Lebanese company against the shipowner. For at least six years, hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which Lebanese authorities say caused Tuesday's massive blast, were negligently stored in a Beirut port warehouse, waiting for disaster to strike. ... it confirmed that an additional 4.35 tonnes of aluminum nitrate was discovered outside the entrance to the port and that army engineers are “dealing” with the materials. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency quoted Raoul Nehme, the minister of economy and trade, as saying Lebanon had enough wheat for its immediate needs and would import more. Unalloyed aluminum is a silvery-white color. Marine Traffic, a ship tracking platform, said the Moldova-flagged vessel first arrived in Beirut's port, the country's busiest, on November 20, 2013 and never left.