AN ARMY bomb disposal unit yesterday carried out a controlled explosion on an unstable chemical at a laboratory in the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin.
Authorities at the college on St Stephen’s Green contacted the emergency services shortly before 12.30pm after an internal health and safety audit of the lab revealed the chemical had degraded to a dangerous state.
Following an examination of the chemical by the bomb disposal team, the chemical was deemed unsafe to transport and was subsequently made safe through a controlled explosion on nearby waste ground.
The offending material is understood to have been 30 grammes of the explosive, picric acid, which is commonly used by laboratories in the analysis of metals and ores.
When the substance goes beyond a certain timeframe, it dries out and can become dangerous to transport.
A Defence Forces spokesman said the accidental detonation of such an unstable chemical could cause serious injury or even death depending on the proximity of the person.
He said Army personnel in the bomb disposal unit were trained to deal with such chemicals.
Although much of the work of the unit was taken up with the containment and defusing of improvised explosive devices, it was not uncommon for the unit to be called out to deal with these types of incidents, he said.
Picric acid was originally used in the munitions industry in the early 20th century because of its highly explosive nature.
However, artillery shells filled with the acid were observed to be become highly unstable over time and to corrode the bomb casings.
The use of picric acid in the manufacture of munitions was eventually replaced by TNT (Trinitrotoluene) and other less corrosive substances.
The dangerous nature of the chemical was demonstrated in the infamous Halifax Explosion, caused when a Belgian relief ship collided with a French munitions carrier, containing 2,300 tonnes of the substance, in the Halifax harbour in 1917.
The resulting explosion killed up to 1,600 people and caused an 18m high tsunami to crash into the Halifax docks and surrounding area.
Yesterday’s incident was the 150th call-out for the Defence Forces bomb squad this year.
