Nearly double the volume of ammonium nitrate, the compound that caused the explosion in Lebanon, was found in a Romanian port.
at the city’s port since 2013 — despite warnings that the chemical fertilizer could turn into a potent explosive if not stored or disposed of correctly.What we know about ammonium nitrate, the chemical compound linked to the Beirut explosions
“What happened in Beirut made us examine our own situation, and we actually got rid of large quantities of abandoned and neglected and dangerous materials that were in the ports,” Mohamed Mait, Egypt’s finance minister, told the country’s parliament last week, Reuters reported.Ammonium nitrate is generally considered safe for use as an agricultural fertilizer, but it can be dangerous depending on how it is stored.
Ammonium nitrate often travels by sea, which means it is prone to be left sitting densely populated cities with ports, such as Beirut and Dakar. Many countries have imposed restrictions on how it can be stored, but amid the chaos of global trade, it can be hard to keep track of.Romanian police announced a countrywide operation to find illegally stored ammonium nitrate earlier this month.
, according to a statement released last week. Several criminal investigations had been started because of the discoveries, police said.This appears to be only a small fraction of the ammonium nitrate in Romania. The country’s Maritime Ports Administration said that some 28,000 tons of the chemical is kept at the country’s largest port, Constanta.
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