While it is still not clear what caused the explosion at a fertilizer plant that destroyed or damaged much of West, Tex., on Wednesday April 17, 2013, the disaster is a reminder that for all the good that fertilizers do in increasing crop yields, they can also prove lethal under certain conditions.

 Although most fertilizers are quite stable, there have been problems of fires and explosions with materials such as ammonium nitrate. Most fertilizers release toxic fumes with little or no warning when exposed to fire complicating severely the fire fighting efforts. Read more..

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