Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Dry Ice Explosives Found at LAX

The article I read this week was "The Science of Dry Ice Bombs, Like LAX's." The article was written by Brian Clark Howard. It is an interesting article because of recent events at the LAX airport in Los Angeles. On October 14, 2013 a dry ice bomb exploded in the airport, which was discussed by the national news. I had only ever heard of dry ice as a coolant, but there is much more to the chemical than that.
Dry Ice Transport Truck
Dry ice is "frozen carbon dioxide that is -109.3 degrees fahrenheit," therefore; it is very, very cold. Bombs are created when the dry ice is placed in a sealed container and allowed to build pressure. when added with water, it pressurizes faster. The carbon dioxide transforms into a gas and that is when the bomb explodes. In the case of the airport, three water bottles sealed with dry ice were found. The science is common, but it can be hurtful.
Dry Ice
The article is very informative, and it should be read by most people. Dry ice can be dangerous and should only be handled by professionals. I chose this article because it relates to current events, and it was a science that I did not know much about before.

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