資料來源：http://chinapost.com.tw/guidepost/topics/default.asp?id=3560&next=1&sub=4
Fears of terrorism are keeping dangerous plants hidden from the American public
Until the fertilizer company in West, Texas, blew up in April and demolished scores of homes, many in that town of 2,800 didn't know what chemicals were stored there or how dangerous they were. Even rescue workers didn't know what they were up against. "We never thought about the potential for an explosion," said Dr. George Smith, the EMS director who responded to the factory fire.
The firefighters that responded to the fire feared that tanks of liquid ammonia would rupture, resulting in a chemical spill. But while they hosed down those tanks to keep them cool, a different chemical — a few tons of ammonium nitrate — exploded with the force of a small earthquake. Fifteen people were killed and more than 160 others were injured by the blast. Smith and his colleagues should have known about the ammonium nitrate. Neighbors should have known, too.
Around the U.S., hundreds of buildings like the one in West store some type of ammonium nitrate. They sit in quiet fields, business districts and around the corner from schools, hospitals and day care centers. By law, this shouldn't be a mystery. Yet fears of terrorism have made it harder than ever for homeowners to find out what dangerous chemicals are hidden nearby. Poor communication can also keep rescue workers in the dark about the risks they face. And some records are so shoddy that rescuers could not rely on them to help save lives.
That reality is reflected in a monthlong effort by The Associated Press to compile public records on hazardous chemicals stored across the U.S. Drawing upon data from 28 U.S. states, the AP found more than 120 facilities within a potentially devastating blast zone of schoolchildren, the elderly and the infirm.
At least 60 facilities reported as having about as much or more ammonium nitrate than the 270 tons West Fertilizer Co. said it had at some point last year. Ammonium nitrate is an important industrial fertilizer and mining explosive that, if stored correctly, is stable and safe. But industrial history is dotted with deadly accidents involving the chemical. Before Texas, the most recent incident occurred at a factory in Toulouse, France, in 2001. That explosion killed 31 people.
Texas investigators still don't know what caused the fire that triggered the West explosion, but the devastation was a reminder of the chemical's power. Because of that explosive potential, if a fire were to break out at an ammonium nitrate company, everyone within a half-kilometer radius could be at risk.
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