Community Chat

[ECBG]

This was just sent to me on FB from a trusted friend.

[Kachina624]

This is not the latest prank as warning on Snopes go back to 2010.  This is in part what they say. 

Although the force of pressure-based bottle bombs may seem small when compared to other types of explosives (such as gunpowder-based ones), any form of explosive has the potential to cause serious injury, and since bottle bombs have no conventional fuse they can be dangerously unpredictable, exploding earlier or later than their wielders expect. (Aluminum foil is typically coated with a layer of wax, so it can take up to ten minutes or so for the fluid to strip away the wax and react with the aluminum foil, enhancing the chances that a soon-to-explode bottle bomb may be picked up by an unwary passer-by.) Additionally, the caustic cleaning agents used in bottle bombs can cause severe burns when they come into contact with skin (either through spillage in the construction of the bombs or through being sprayed widely in the resulting explosions) and produce toxic fumes.

The above-quoted e-mail warning about neighborhood residents discovering undetonated bottle bombs in their yards was sent out by Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Deputy Keith Mansell in April 2010 after he discovered two Drano bombs left in the yards of residents of York Township, Michigan. For the most part, those who concoct bottle bombs mix the ingredients, immediately set their work aside, and stand back to watch it explode within a minute or two. However, there are ways of delaying the mixture and/or reaction of the ingredients so as to cause a delayed detonation, so those who discover objects that appear to be bottle bombs should refrain from handling them and contact authorities for removal.

[on the bay]

I heard of this happening about 5 or more years ago but not recently. i hope even the warning doesn't get around too much and give anyone new ideas! Had she heard of it happening on the news where she lives or just saw it on some website?

[gracie2014]

This type of info is dangerous..too many nut jobs roaming the planet....they don't need anymore crazy ideas.

[sweetee2]

This is worse!   On our local online news, a girl decided to prank her friends on facebook and pretend to commit suicide.  Well her boyfriend saw it and killed himself.  What the h**l is the matter with these kids these days?

[Citrine1]

It's a sick world we live in. 

[x Hedge]

I read OP and thought, "no, nothing new here"

That's the type of dynamic chemical reaction I heard teens discuss several decades ago when they were taking introductory chemistry classes in school.

Note ingredients.  Tin foil?

Tin foil pretty much disappeared 40-? years ago??

Edit: I see the alarmist post is lifted word for word from an article I found in hoax-slayer.com

There are other articles confirming this particular mix, and other explosive concoctions can and have been intentionally made for decades from various household items.

The very popular old TV show McGuyver showed the title character frequently making all sorts of basic chemical bombs from commonly available ingredients.

I'm not dismissing the potential danger of homemade chemical bombs. I guess its the sense of overstated danger I felt reading the OP. 

The world is a dangerous place, and idiots will always be among us.

[ROMARY]

Some people laugh at me when I say that kids (well, almost everyone) need to do chores around the house.  Help out their moms, and spend their lazy, hum-drum time accomplishing something to their household.  Clearly the kids/people described here are bored, and lay around in their rooms, drumming up bad things to do..........to themselves and/or to others.

[ChynnaBlue]

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@sweetee2 wrote:

This is worse!   On our local online news, a girl decided to prank her friends on facebook and pretend to commit suicide.  Well her boyfriend saw it and killed himself.  What the h**l is the matter with these kids these days?

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Since that's the plot of Romeo and Juliet, I don't think this is new or limited to these days. Kids have always done dumb things. 

Brains are still in development and in the teenage years, they're actually wired to make poor decisions. That's no excuse, but it is a reason.

https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/The-Teen-Brain-Behavior-...

[LadyAlice]

What are you supposed to do if a  device is in your mailbox, etc.?  Call the Fire Department, etc.?  I appreciate the warning, but what is the solution?  Anyone?  Thank you, Lady Alice