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Bomb Squad Searches House Over Teenager's Chemistry Experiments
McGruber writes: On Wednesday, authorities in the south Fulton County, Georgia town of Hapeville shut down a street for hours and used their bomb squad to search a home. According to the suspect's father, the bomb scare started after his 18-year-old son was arrested for trespassing, entering an abandoned warehouse and salvaging mercury switches, which can be used to detonate explosives. When police searched the teen's home on Virginia Avenue at Rainey Avenue in Hapeville, they said they found chemicals inside. "He's not building bombs. He does do a lot of experiments. A lot of them I don't fully understand, but I'm certain he's not making bombs," said the suspect's father, Allen Mason. Mason says chemistry is his son's hobby and he wants to be a chemical engineer. Mason also said police told him what they found is not illegal to own. One neighbor, who couldn't return home for hours, said he didn't feel the teen was a threat. "I don't see a problem with this, but you have to trust the authorities in they're doing what they think is best," said Curtis Ray. In February 2015, Hapeville authorities evacuated businesses and called out the bomb squad to investigate a pinhole camera that was part of a Georgia University Art Project.
"I don't see a problem with this, but you have to trust the authorities in they're doing what they think is best," said Curtis Ray.
Um... no you don't
I love how they say that Mercury switches can detonate explosives, as if any other switch can't.
This is exactly the reason I got out of the hobby, too many hobbyists getting raided (Especially after 9/11). And if they do decide they want to go after you, you're screwed. Magnetic stirrers, pyrex glasses, even coffee pots can be considered "bomb making equipment" in their eyes.
You gotta wonder why he thought it was OK to trespass and steal switches though.
I love how they say that Mercury switches can detonate explosives, as if any other switch can't.
A mercury switch operates on gravity. Tilt a package (like, say, pick it up carelessly, or rotate it to face the label up to read who sent it) to complete the circuit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
So, mercury switches are more interesting to law enforcement than other types. He was into experimenting with chemicals. He was caught trespassing to acquire mercury switches. Of course he was interesting to law enforcement.
"Mercury switches can be used to detonate explosives"? Well, so can a simple battery with a timer. Doesn't mean that that's what was going to happen.
For anyone who has a modicum of Chemistry education, it's crystal clear that the kid was after the Hg in the switches, as the contents of wet-contact switches is about the only way to obtain that fascinating metal in a hobby setting.
BTW, Hg compounds are still used as detonators (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury(II)_fulminate)
when I was about 12 in the mid 80's I rode my bike 10 miles to Radio Shack and bought all of the Mercury Switches they had (4?) for about $1.50 each. I built people detectors which consisted of a copper tube with batteries, Mercury switch, on/off push button, and siren. When we played hide and seek or paintball I could arm one and put a string across a path. If someone hit the string the siren would go off.
I lost one or so I thought. A kid found one and took it home. His Mom called the cops because she thought it was a bomb. The kid ratted me out as the builder. The cop showed up at my house and asked me to come look at something. I followed him and one of these devices was in the street. I told the cop what it was and he laughed and told me to pick it up and take it home.
I can't imagine what would happen today.
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
Oh, and by the way, mercury is a toxic substance with pretty specific rules with respect to disposal. I doubt leaving it in an abandoned warehouse is complying with those rules.
Seriously, some kid likes to play with chemistry. Good on him.
I made plenty of bombs when I was a kid. Even had a cop talk to me. All he said was make sure nobody got hurt and don't start a fire you can't put out.
Some kid broke a couple of thermometers in a classroom a couple years ago around here and the EPA was called when word got out to some helicopter parent. They brought in a device to measure the mercury vapor level in the room and the room was declared a hazard after taking the air measurements. The room became a suit-up, limited exposure-time environment while they figured out what to do. Students houses were visited and clothing and shoes bagged for hazmat disposal. Seriously. I believe the room's carpet is now rolled up and buried in a hazardous chemicals disposal facility. The paranoia prevalent today about mercury is ridiculous and is unfortunately being backed up by supposed scientific authorities.
It's funny that my generation is not the one with all the crazy levels of autism claims, and we're the ones that freely played around with mercury in our chemistry classes.
Some kid broke a couple of thermometers in a classroom a couple years ago around here and the EPA was called when word got out to some helicopter parent.
Okay, with you so far...
They brought in a device to measure the mercury vapor level in the room and the room was declared a hazard after taking the air measurements. The room became a suit-up, limited exposure-time environment while they figured out what to do.
If the readings were that bad, does that mean that they were overreacting?
Students houses were visited and clothing and shoes bagged for hazmat disposal. Seriously. I believe the room's carpet is now rolled up and buried in a hazardous chemicals disposal facility. The paranoia prevalent today about mercury is ridiculous and is unfortunately being backed up by supposed scientific authorities.
People love to complain about the authorities, but think about it for a minute... It costs money to enforce regulations. Departments are only given limited budgets. They're not going to add to their regulatory duties things that don't matter for no good reason, as they already have enough problems regulating the stuff that really needs it. Add to that, schools don't want to be liable for physically hurting kids during their childhood and adolescent development, and will very likely follow the guidelines of their risk-management departments to attempt to mitigate the potential for lawsuits later.
It's funny that my generation is not the one with all the crazy levels of autism claims, and we're the ones that freely played around with mercury in our chemistry classes.
No, but your generation's children have come down with all manner of interesting diseases and conditions. Maybe something related there...
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
"a cubic foot of natural gas is about equivalent to four sticks of dynamite."
This seems implausible to me. Using as sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
1 cubic foot of methane -> 28.3 litres -> 18.6g (at 25 C, 1 atmosphere) -> 1.16 mole -> 1.03 MJ combustion energy (at 890 kJ/mol).
4 sticks dynamite -> 0.744 kg -> 3.72MJ (at 5MJ/kg, 186g sticks)
So it is more like a cubic foot of methane = 1 stick of dynamite -- still much more than I expected.
Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.
I have a friend from South Carolina who moved to Florida and was gone from his home town for five years or so. He felt a strong calling to get back together with his high school sweetheart and after letters and phone calls sent her a package. Instead of the Post Office delivering the package the police came to her home with the package. The police were concerned that the package came from Florida. You know, Florida! The land of perverts, junkies and people who are not baptists. The cops wanted to protect her in case something shocking or perverse was inside this package from the godless land called Florida. So they opened the package in front of her to reveal the treats that girls tend to like such as candy, perfume and other fluff. She then informed them that packages from her boy friend should be allowed to be delivered to her home. This all happened well before 9/11. Apparently small towns in the deep south look at other US states about like we look at Syria or Yemen.
I can't say I RTFA, but when the police shut down the street and show up at your front door with the bomb squad, most people don't realize they have the right to ask for a warrant.
People always have the right to *ask* for a warrant, but the police don't always need one.
Our paramilitary police forces make increasing use of "no knock warrants." It is very difficult to ask to see a warrant when your ears are ringing from the flash-bang and very difficult to be rational when your baby's face is on fire