300 lb. Chlorine Gas Canister Stolen In Montgomery County Texas
July 3, 2007
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A 300 lb.canister containing compressed chlorine gas was stolen from the Montgomery County Regional Water Corporation on Tuesday.
Officials said thieves cut a hole in the fence behind the water treatment buildings and got into the plant. The canister was stolen from the second floor. Other damage was reported as well, including valves turned on and an electrical box broken into.
The stainless steel canister’s contents are clearly marked “Chlorine Gas” in black letters on the side.
Investigators said kids or teenagers might have stolen the gas, not knowing what they actually took.
Deputies are concerned about the theft because if the gas is released, it can cause immediate death.
Low level exposure to chlorine gas results in burning sensations to the eyes, nose & throat, usually accompanied by dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Higher levels of exposure can cause fatal lung damage; but because the gas is heavier than air it will not dissipate until well after an explosion, and so it is generally considered ineffective as an improvised chemical weapon.
“It’s very dangerous. If it’s inhaled, it can cause immediate death. The gas tends to be very heavy and tends to stay low to the ground and accumulate in lower areas. It’s very possible if somebody has this and they don’t know what it is and they open the valve or break it somehow, or it falls over and ruptures, it could be very dangerous to people in the immediate area,” said Lt. Norris with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
What intially caught our attention about this story, was the thought of how much effort would be required for teenagers to remove the 300lb canister from the 2nd floor and transport it away from the area.
Additional concern is warranted due to the recent use of car bombs in the UK and Glasgow and al Qaeda’s new propensity to use chlorine bombs as a “weapon of choice”. Read MSNBC’s story from February of this year: Chlorine Gas - New Insurgents Weapon?
Al Qaeda’s desire to send a message or leave a signature on each attack is well documented. While it may turn out that this was the work of local teenagers, recent events in the UK and the possibility that the cannister was stolen by someone with more sinister intentions should be cause for concern.
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4 Responses to “300 lb. Chlorine Gas Canister Stolen In Montgomery County Texas”
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I don’t believe that teenagers would want to haul a 300lb canister of chlorine gas out of the building. I think we have a big problem here.
I think this is something that we in the USA need to be more aware of. It is very easy to cause panic among the public. Most people now days don’t even think about the dangers anymore. People like us who want to stay informed are considered “doomsdayers”. I wish I could do more to make people more aware that anything can now happen at anytime, however, an uneducated 45 year old man has very little to offer. I can only help the ones that are close to me I guess.
We are at war and we should start acting like it. God bless us all when the next attack happens.
There is no way pranksters would expend the effort necessary to breach a perimiter, enter a building, examine electrical and plumbing infrastructures, cart away an object with 300 lbs of material plus 100 pounds of stainless canister, without deliberate intent to benefit somehow.
For the good of public safety, I will elaborate fully on the threat posed by pure Chlorine gas, which sinks naturally in the atmosphere.
Low lying areas include bridges over highways, subways, interstate and pedestrian tunnels, building rooftops of sports stadiums, all afford a target for dispersal by explosion above a population unable to escape the gas.
Teenagers my foot. They knew what they were looking for. Terrorists use chlorine bombs in Iraq on Civilians. With deadly effects.