J&K Police seize 350 kg of ammonium nitrate in Faridabad. How dangerous is it?

The Jammu and Kashmir Police last week seized 350 kilos of ammonium nitrate in Faridabad.

Authorities recovered the ammonium nitrate on Sunday from a doctor with suspected terror links. Authorities also recovered an assault rifle, some ammunition, and explosive timers.

Authorities made the bust after a tip-off from a suspected terrorist who is in custody. Ammonium nitrate was responsible for the explosion in Beirut in 2020.

But what happened? What is ammonium nitrate? How dangerous is it? Let’s take a closer look.

What is ammonium nitrate?

Ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) is a colourless crystalline solid substance. It is made by combining ammonia (NH₃) with nitric acid (HNO₃). With a melting point of 169.6 °C, the substance is highly soluble in water. When heated further, it can produce nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.

It is a synthetic compound — meaning it does not occur naturally. “You won’t just find ammonium nitrate in the ground,” explained Andrea Sella, professor of chemistry at University College London, in a BBC interview.

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Manufactured in large industrial quantities, commercial-grade ammonium nitrate contains around 33.5 per cent nitrogen. It is widely used to make artificial fertilisers, which are essential for crop growth. Around 80 per cent of the ammonium nitrate produced globally is used in the fertiliser industry because nitrogen is vital for plant development.

Fertiliser made from ammonium nitrate became widespread after the Second World War. While it increased crop yields by providing plants with easily absorbable nitrogen, it also contributed to soil nutrient depletion. As a result, agriculture has become increasingly dependent on synthetic fertilisers such as ammonium nitrate.

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However, fertiliser is not its only use. Ammonium nitrate can also be used to make explosives. When combined with fuel, it can produce a cheap and powerful explosive mixture. The compound is manufactured worldwide and is relatively inexpensive to obtain.

How dangerous is it?

While ammonium nitrate is not dangerous by itself and is relatively easy to handle, it can become hazardous when exposed to combustible substances or materials. Over time, it absorbs moisture from the air and can harden into large, solid masses.

“The real problem is that over time it will absorb little bits of moisture and eventually turns into an enormous rock,” Sella said. This was precisely what happened in Lebanon in 2020, when 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the Beirut port exploded, killing over 1,000 people and devastating the city.

During such explosions, toxic gases such as nitrogen oxides and ammonia can be released. “If there isn’t much wind, it could become a danger to people nearby,” Sella added.

Ammonium nitrate has also been used in several terrorist attacks — most notably the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh, who carried out the attack, used around two tonnes of ammonium nitrate to make a bomb that destroyed a federal building and killed 168 people.

Other major industrial accidents involving ammonium nitrate include:

• Tianjin, China (2015): An explosion at a warehouse storing ammonium nitrate killed at least 173 people.

• Texas City, USA (1947): Around 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate on a ship docked at the port exploded, killing 581 people, the deadliest industrial accident in US history.

• Oppau, Germany (1921): A blast caused by 4,500 tonnes of ammonium nitrate killed 500 people.

Due to such incidents, governments have imposed strict regulations on how ammonium nitrate is produced, stored, and transported.

The manufacturing process can also generate environmental pollutants such as fine dust, nitric acid emissions, and wastewater containing phosphorus, fluorides, ammonia, and weak acids.

When used in fertilisers, ammonium nitrate can lead to ammonia emissions, which combine with other air pollutants to form particulate matter — extremely harmful to human health. Such pollution has been linked to learning and memory problems in children and heart and lung diseases in adults. Studies have also shown that long-term exposure can worsen conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Moreover, ammonium nitrate contributes to global warming. Nitrogen-based fertilisers account for nearly 60 per cent of nitrous oxide emissions, a greenhouse gas about 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat within the atmosphere.

How the bust was made

The ammonium nitrate was recovered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police from Faridabad after receiving intelligence from Adil Ahmad Rahter, a suspected terrorist arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur. Rahter had allegedly put up posters in Srinagar supporting the terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) — an outfit responsible for several attacks in India, including the 2019 Pulwama attack and the 2001 assault on Parliament.

Sources said the seized ammonium nitrate, if combined with a combustible substance, could have caused a blast with a radius of 50 to 100 metres, resulting in total destruction within a third of that area. Buildings up to 120 metres away could have suffered damage.

Police said the bust was made after an assault rifle and ammunition were recovered from a locker belonging to one Mujahil Shakeel at the Government Medical College in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. The material was initially suspected to be RDX, another white and odourless explosive.

With inputs from agencies