Potentially Dangerous Chemical Stolen

WNBC (Channel 4) ^ | 04/27/04 | wnbc.com

[PokeyJoe]

BOGOTA, N.J. -- A large amount of chemicals stolen from a concrete plant in Bogota, N.J. has sent law enforcement officials on high alert.

(FBI thinks related to stolen tanker truck)

[PokeyJoe]

did a search on "stolen" and "chemical" with no posts found... posting interesting story.

[Dog]

The chemical is Rheocrete.

[Dog]

Fyi..

[Miss Marple]

What is Rheocrete?

[John H K]

Article completely contradicted by this one:

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wabc_042704_chemical.html

"When we hear about chemical thefts now we all understandably get nervous. But the reality is rheocrete, the missing chemical, is considered more of a concrete additive. It is so harmless that contact with your skin poses no safety concerns."

The question is, could the two thefts of rheocrete from the tanks here be linked to a missing empty gasoline tanker, stolen from Pennsauken, New Jersey, earlier this month.

It's doubtful, says the lead Bogota detective assigned to this case.

Det. Timothy Geipel, Bogota Police: "The truck was reported being stolen April 8th or 9th, and our original theft was between the 31st of March and April 5th."

In other words, the chemical was taken before the tanker was stolen. Eastern Concrete had 2,600 gallons stolen in the first incident, and in the second, smaller, theft of 500 gallons.

Det. Timothy Geipel: "I would think if you had a truck this big, you would have taken more. There was more available."

Rheocrete is made up of 65 percent water, and 30 percent calcium nitrate, and is used as an anti-corrosive mixture added to concrete. It requires no special handling, and is even biodegradable. The manufacturer, Master Builders' Technology of Ohio, issued this statement:

"Rheocrete CNI is not an explosive material, nor can it be easily converted to an explosive material without multiple chemical steps and industrial scale processing equipment."
Master Builders,
Environmental Health and Safety Manager
Still, as a precaution the Bogota Police Department issued a teletype to law enforcement agencies. Right now detectives are leaning toward the theft theory held by Eastern Concrete executives.

Michael Mitchele, Eastern Concrete: "I think that somebody in the industry just took the product because it's an expensive product. And they saved themselves some money by coming and getting it for nothing."

[PokeyJoe]

yup, but admin moderators don't tolerate people changing titles.

[DoctorMichael]

Stolen Rheocrete & Stolen Tanker Truck & Stolen Ammonium Nitrate & Missing Fuel Rods.............

http://www.terroranalysis.com/story/46111.html

[So Cal Rocket]

Rheocrete isn't that dangerous... here's a link to the MSDS

http://www.masterbuilders.com/eprise/main/ProductDocs/Documents/rheocrete222+_msds.pdf

[Dog]

Could it be converted into a chemical weapon?

[John H K]

Rheocrete isn't that dangerous... here's a link to the MSDS

Careful, don't upset the pants-wetters and amateur terror "analysis" hobbyists and fantasizers ; they tend not to deal with facts or rationality well.

[Peach]

That's not good news at all.

[Eala]

What? Somebody stole a tank-full of water? (You can drown in it, you know...)

[furball4paws]

Yes, it can, but not easily. If the water were removed then most of what would be left would be calcium nitrate. Mix that with some diesel and some other nitrate sources and you could have another OKC. All nitrates are potentially explosive under special circumstances.

However, I think this is a red herring. It's so much easier to get ammonium nitrate, even a bag at a time, than to "clean up" an industrial chemical additive.

Remember all those "pesticides" found in Iraq. A good chemist could convert many of them into nerve agents. Again, just because a chemist could do it, doesn't mean that it is practical to do so.

[cricket]

Bogota, New Jersey?

Is this name, 'legal'? Or is it 'illegal'?

How did it get here?

[Boot Hill]

•"A large amount of chemicals stolen from a concrete plant in Bogota, N.J. has sent law enforcement officials on high alert."

•"The chemical Rheocrete, a form of nitrate, is commonly used to prevent corrosion in steel. But officials said it could be used as a deadly chemical weapon."

Relax everyone, this is just another of those breathless, OMG we're all going to die, terrorist warnings that have no basis in fact.

"Rheocrete CNI is not an explosive material, nor can it be easily converted to an explosive material without multiple chemical steps and industrial scale processing equipment." -- Master Builders, Environmental Health and Safety Manager   (Source)

Nor is it a poison (unless you can eat your own weight in the stuff).

--Boot Hill

[swarthyguy]

Well, a rag, a bottle, household detergent and gasoline can make a simple napalmmolotov.

Seems the lack of a proper understanding of basic science and chemistry is hindering the ability of our intrepid journalists to distinguish between something truly alarming and what's not.

[Boot Hill]

• "Seems the lack of a proper understanding of basic science and chemistry is hindering the ability of our intrepid journalists..."

I strongly agree, so it is only with great restraint that I don't repost the above in <font size=20 color="red">.

--Boot Hill

[swarthyguy]

One of my faves ( apart from the picture on CNN showing Austria as Switzerland, posted here many times) was an article in the BostonGlob, talking about the 1986 Tanker escorts, (actually, tankers went first, then the USN, IIRC) in the Persian Gulf.

Glob reporter said minesweepers have wooden hulls, apparently forgetting demagnetisation of steel hulls, a practice prevalent since pretty early in the century.

Pretty amazing statement in a "major" paper.

[Boot Hill]

I didn't find this one in a newspaper, but on an internet website (an adult, professional website). A neighbor's kid was working on a school project and came over for some help. She needed to know some basic facts about the sinking of the Titanic. Among other things, she needed to know the exact location where it sank. So I brought up Google and typed in the search phrase "the titanic sank at". I was expecting to get either the time or the coordinates of the sinking. But the Google results showed one website that said "The Titanic sank at the bottom of the ocean"!!!

--Boot Hill

[swarthyguy]

The word LOCATION may have been better for a search?

Still funny.