Forwarded email warns recipients to beware of 'bottle bombs,' homemade explosive devices consisting of water, Drano, and aluminum foil in a plastic bottle.
Description: Email rumor
Circulating since: May 2010
Status: True (see details below)
Example:
Email text contributed by Elliott F., May 20, 2010:
Subject: Fw: Good information for everyone!
Check SNOPES...............
Good safety info that I never heard of; be careful and watch the video if you don't believe it.
Pay attention to this.
1. a plastic bottle with a cap.
2. a little Drano.
3. a little water.
4. a small piece of foil.
5. Disturb it by moving it; and BOOM!!
6. No fingers left and other serious effects to your face, eyes, etc..People are finding these bombs in mailboxes and in their yards, just waiting for you to pick it up intending to put it in the trash. But, you'll never make it!!! It takes about 30 seconds to blow after you move the thing.
See "SNOPES" below....it's true. This happened a few days ago...April 27, as a matter of fact.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp
Analysis: Homemade "bottle bombs" have been around for at least two decades, though they've been known by a variety of different names, including "acid bombs," "Drano bombs," "works bombs," "pressure bombs," and "MacGyver bombs." They're a favorite of teenage pranksters because they can be made with common household ingredients, but police warn that the devices are unpredictable and dangerous. Would-be bottle bomb makers should be aware that if caught they can be charged with a felony. Penalties can be quite severe if injuries or property damage result.
The way a bottle bomb works is simple. When the aluminum foil comes into contact with the Drano solution a strong chemical reaction occurs, releasing a gas which causes pressure to build up inside the plastic bottle, which eventually explodes. The caustic, boiling liquid thrown off by such an explosion can cause second- or third-degree burns and/or blindness. Any number of YouTube videos demonstrate how to construct and detonate the bombs.
News reports of bottle bomb incidents (in which the activity is sometimes described as a "fad") have cropped up regularly since the early 1990s. An article published in the Los Angeles Times in March 1991 claimed at least eight adolescents had been injured in glass bottle bomb explosions after learning how to construct the devices from an episode of the TV show MacGyver.
The current warning appears to stem from specific incidents reported in April 2010, including the discovery of bottle bombs left in the yards of two houses in York Township, Michigan and a "rash" of attempted mailbox bombings in Methuen, Massachusetts.
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Sources and further reading:
'Bottle Bombs' Seen as Prank but Can Be Deadly
MyFoxHouston.com, 27 May 2010Mailbox Bomb Attempts Spur $5K Reward Offer
Eagle-Tribune, 24 April 2010Police Warn of Pop Bottle Bombs Left in Yards in York Township
AnnArbor.com, 18 April 2010What's an Acid Bomb?
Slate.com, 28 November 2006Homemade Chemical Bomb Events and Resulting Injuries
CDC report, 18 July 2003Police Trying to Defuse Explosive Bottle Bomb Fad
Dayton Daily News, 17 April 1994Drano Bomb Fad Causing Concern
Associated Press, 29 May 1992Rash of Injuries Blamed on Kids Imitating 'MacGyver'
Los Angeles Times, 24 March 1991
Last updated 04/04/12
