The aftermath of the mega-explosion caused by ammonium nitrate that devastated Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, could pose serious health risks to the population, warns an expert interviewed by BBC News Brazil.
According to Gabriel da Silva, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Melbourne in Australia, the main danger is the inhalation of toxic gases.
“An ammonium nitrate explosion produces large quantities of nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a foul-smelling red gas. Images of Beirut reveal a distinct reddish color in the gas cloud formed by the explosion, he says in a telephone interview with BBC News Brasil.
“Nitrogen oxides are generally present in urban air pollution and can irritate the respiratory system. High levels of these pollutants are particularly concerning for people with respiratory problems,” she adds.
Silva points out that the smoke is expected to pose a health risk to the residents of the Lebanese capital “until it dissipates naturally, which could take several days, depending on the weather.”.
He adds that another health risk is the inhalation of dust from buildings that collapsed due to the magnitude of the explosion.
It is worth remembering that this dust cloud was the cause of respiratory problems, if not death, for many people following the attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001.
Several of them inhaled microscopic particles in the days following the attack resulting from pulverized building materials, many of them highly toxic, such as asbestos, lead, fiberglass, and mercury.
‘Acid rain’
Silva also adds that these gases expelled by the explosion could cause acid rain.
This occurs “when the nitrogen oxides released into the atmosphere react with rainwater in the clouds, producing the phenomenon,” he explains.
Acid rain can trigger various environmental damages, causing problems for plants, soil, animals, and the waters of rivers and lakes, in addition to also contaminating the water table. Thus, it also poses a danger to human beings.
Fertilizer
Silva explains that ammonium nitrate is used primarily as a fertilizer in the form of granules, which are highly soluble in water and which farmers buy in large quantities. It is also one of the main components of explosives used in mines, where it is mixed with fuel oil and detonated by an explosive charge.
But he points out that for “an ammonium nitrate tragedy to happen, a lot of things have to go wrong.”.
Silva points out that the substance “does not burn on its own.”.
“Instead, it acts as a source of oxygen that can accelerate the combustion (burning) of other materials,” it says.
“For combustion to occur, oxygen must be present. Ammonium nitrate pellets provide a much more concentrated supply of oxygen than the air around us. That is why it is effective in mining explosives, where it is mixed with petroleum and other fuels,” he adds.
According to local authorities, the massive explosion left at least 100 people dead and thousands injured. Many others remain missing. About 300,000 are homeless.
The explosion was reportedly caused by 2,570 tons of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port of Beirut, after being confiscated from a ship that left Georgia bound for Mozambique more than six years ago.
The Lebanese government has decreed a two-week state of emergency. Three days of official mourning have also been announced.
Lebanon has been suffering from a severe economic, political, and health crisis, along with the coronavirus pandemic.
SOURCE:
FIRE MAGAZINE
