Bomb Squad Responds to Picric Acid Scare At Hospital

Durham, North Carolina  The Durham County Bomb Squad responded to the VA hospital in Durham when workers there discovered a pint of crystallized picric acid in a storage shed. The picric acid stored at the facility was technically creatnine, which is a form of picric acid used in the process of detecting kidney disease.

Picric acid, which is also used in the manufacture of certain explosives and munitions, can crystallize over time. When this happens, it becomes a highly sensitive explosive which creates an extreme explosive safety hazard.

The pint sized container of picric acid found at the hospital was being stored in the outdoor storage unit as it was waiting to be properly disposed of. Authorities are investigating how long the picric acid may have been kept in storage before it crystallized.

Bomb squad personnel safely removed the crystallized picric acid from the storage shed for proper disposal. The hospital itself was not evacuated during the removal process but roads including portions of Interstate 85 were shut down as a safety precaution as the material was being transported to a nearby range for proper disposal. The removal and disposal process occurred without incident.