The annual turnover of products containing ammonia nitrate comprises millions of tons globally. Despite such volumes and more than a century of practical use, however, the problem of their safe use has remained at the top of the agenda. The high probability of the development of emergencies in different countries indicates that problems associated with an objective assessment of the explosiveness of chemical compositions based on ammonia nitrate are global. Easiness in the production of explosive mixtures, their cost-efficiency, and the history of misuse demonstrate that ammonia nitrate is a suitable material to make improvised explosive devices used for terrorist purposes.
In August 2020, in the Beirut port (Lebanon), 2,750 tons of ammonia nitrate stored at the warehouse exploded. This led to disastrous consequences: more than 150 people were killed, about 6,000 people were injured, and buildings and facilities located at long distances from the explosion epicenter were severely damaged. The article provides data on the detonation properties of ammonia nitrate. The general state, including the assessment of the explosiveness of ammonia-based products and problems of use of such products for terrorist purposes, have been considered. Measures taken to ensure the safe handling of ammonia nitrate, such as desensitization, labeling, and improving standard methods of the legislation, have been discussed.
The analysis led to a disappointing conclusion that an explosion comparable to the Beirut explosion can be repeated in any other place. The basic causes are the insufficient understanding of details of the chemical transformation of ammonia nitrate during detonation, missing objective data on the detonation capacity and sensitivity of compounds based on ammonia nitrate, unavailability of reliable methods of explosiveness assessment, and the imperfection of the legislation. Recommendations on measures to be taken to prevent large-scale disasters during the storage and transportation of ammonia nitrate in the future have been provided. It has been concluded that free access to products with high content of ammonia nitrate imposes an unacceptable risk to public safety.
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