44: Beirut Warehouse 12

In Beirut in August of 2020, an explosion at the Port of Beirut destroyed a huge part of the city. We look into how an oxidising agent, improperly handled can become an explosive and attempt to comprehend how something so dangerous was ignored repeatedly by key people, despite many warnings of an imminent disaster.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Links of Interest:

• 2020 Beirut Explosion
• Condensation Cloud
• Prill
• ANFO
• Ammonium Nitrate
• How an unscheduled port visit led to disaster
• Beirut Ammonium Nitrate Blast
• Government Amends Ammonium Nitrate Rules
• FBI probe shows amount of chemicals in Beirut blast was a fraction of original shipment
• Beirut Whistleblower Returns to Work
• Ideal Gas Law
• Gases, Liquids and Solids (PDF)

Reports into the incident:

• Human Rights Watch (PDF)
• The Beirut Port Explosion, Forensic Architecture

Video and Images:

• Video of Explosion 1 (Twitter)
• Video of Explosion 2 (Twitter)
• Video of Wilsons Cloud Ring (Twitter)

Documentary:

• Beirut Blast: The Story Of Warehouse 12 (2021)
• Beirut Blast: The Story of Warehouse 12 (2021) - IMDb

Ammonium Nitrate Information:

• Storage requirements for security sensitive ammonium nitrate (SSAN) | Resources Safety & Health Queensland
• Orica Mining Services, Report for Kooragang Island Uprate PHA MOD1 Report (PDF)
• Ammonium Nitrate Advisory USEPA (PDF)
• Orica ANFO MSDS (PDF)

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Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Shane O'Neill, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Jared, Bill, Joel Maher and Katharina Will.