According to legal documents, court correspondence and statements by public officials obtained by The Washington Post, the stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate arrived in Beirut in 2013. The chemical compound is a white salt and an oxidizer — it fuels fires by supplying oxygen. But the chemical compound is often stored in large quantities because of its large-scale commercial applications. ADAnd in 2001, an enormous ammonium nitrate explosion at a factory in Toulouse, France, resulted in the shattering of windows and apartments across wide swaths of the city. To store ammonium nitrate under less-than-deal conditions and over prolonged periods, Blum said, is never safe.

Source: Washington Post August 06, 2020 20:12 UTC