The Explosive Industry 

Were Nobel and Haber justified in feeling depressed about their contributions to society and humanity?

According to the Federal Explosive Law and Regulations, explosives are a combination of chemicals in the form of solid, liquid or gas in an unstable state that have the ability to explode, blow up or discharge chemicals into a specific area or target, when in contact to heat, shock and friction. Heat, light and sound energy are released at the end of the reaction in the process of changing from an unstable to a more stable compound, proving that explosions are exothermic reactions. All explosives are mixtures that include carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen including other additives that provides special properties such as density and water resistance. From firecrackers to nuclear bombs, explosions have and will constantly evolve with time as long as there are inventions to form new compounds to form the explosives.

Explosives play a vital role in our daily lives. According to Explosive Engineering by Paul Cooper, the infrastructure of the United States was built with the help of explosives. Since the industrial revolution, when Alfred Nobel invented the dynamite and blasting cap, mines could be dug deeper and quicker, thus benefited the country economically. Today, we rely on explosives engineering more than ever in our quest for more electrical energy, better roads and more mineral harvesting. Our electronic devices and gadgets are built using silver, copper, gold and silica, which are extracted from the ground using the power of explosives. Even our roadways vehicles travel on and tunnels they travel through are built by breaking rocks using explosives. Also, our power sources such as fuel, coal, natural gas, petroleum and hydroelectric dams are built from explosives. It’s obvious that explosives provide mankind the opportunity to obtain and make use of Earth’s resources for the advancement and evolution of civilization.

However, there are misuses of explosives, especially when used as weapons, which impacts the people as well as harming the environment. A German scientist, Fritz Haber who introduced the Haber process, which is the reaction between Nitrogen and Hydrogen, forming nitric acid was responsible for the death of millions of people in WW1 from his invention. According to Global Security.org, today, explosives are used as weapons, responsible for the death and injury of societies worldwide including, in countries like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Burma, and Somalia.This misuse of explosives leaves a devastating impact on the environment and the economic development of a country. Explosive weapons also cause environmental damage. According to the UN Environment Program, water sources were found to be contaminated with hydrocarbon especially in sewage treatment plants, rivers and along coastlines. Explosive weapons also have a deteriorating impact on sociological aspect of the civilians of a country. Explosive weapons destroy properties, transport facilities, schools and health care centers, making it impossible for people to receive medical support, shelter, and clean access to water and food as well as receive proper education because children are afraid to go to school. In addition, explosive weapons constantly leave behind explosive remedies that will continue to pose a threat to citizens of the country and may pose harm unless dealt with carefully, causing a negative impact to the economy of that country. The effect of the explosion to the society in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is an example of this socio-economical impact of explosives. This is because even after the explosion of Nagasaki in the year 1945, the effect of plutonium in the explosive was prominent even after a few years from that attack. 263,000 people died and many suffered the after effect. The number of babies born with leukemia increased.

Explosives should be used for the better of mankind and not to destroy mankind from the face of this planet. It’s critical for governments to understand the gravity of the devastating effects explosives contributes to the society as well as the environment. I would like to see explosives used to benefit the world’s population, not through war but used for the better of humanity. Despite the fact that ammonia poses danger to lives as it is used in many terrorist attacks for making detonators, and water contamination if used excessively as fertilizer, the only feasible way ammonia can be used effectively without posing harm to life on this planet is to use it as fuel. According to National Defense, unlike petroleum, ammonia releases little or no greenhouse gas emissions when burned. Ammonia is also conventional as hydrogen can easily be obtained through the Haber process. The first utilization of ammonia as a fuel for motorbuses was in Belgium during 1943. Today, large volumes of ammonia are being shipped to every industrial country. It has been proven to work effectively in transportation and is ready for market today as an alternative to petroleum.

However, there are economical issues to be considered. Ammonia is not cheap. According to USGS Mineral Resources Program, the price of a ton of ammonia for agricultural use is $550-$600. Also, ammonia must be stored under pressure, refrigerated and dispensed through special equipment, which would be daunting enough for any gas station owner considering adding an ammonia pump, the safety aspects of ammonia handling is more precarious.

Despite the economical issues of ammonia as a fuel, the environmental benefits outweigh the cons. My point is, using ammonia as fuel is a fully viable alternative than using it in explosives. Although, coming up with the free ammonia is the issue, once a low enough cost for ammonia exists, ammonia would be foremost in any sensible thought and mark the end of the oil age.

In conclusion, explosive devices have become the terrorist’s weapon of choice and are used in warfare’s around the world, which leads to negative effects on people, economy and the environment. However, there are also beneficial uses of explosives, some of which improves industrial and economical purposes. The benefits serve communities, countries and the environment by using explosives safely and securely. Therefore, explosives are safe and reliable when used properly.