As a pacifist, I do not condone the use of violence to solve one’s problems but this topic still intrigues me. Imagine bombs that do as much damage as TNT but without the environmental impact.

Whether detonated or not TNT (Trinitrotoluene) can contaminate the environment. This compound is used frequently as an explosive because in its standard form it is a solid but it can quickly be converted to a harmful gas. According to University of Minnesota researchers, solid TNT contaminates the soil and groundwater. Also, if broken down by water, the chemical can be absorbed directly into the skin causing headaches, anemia and skin irritation.

So, in lieu of the environmental and unintended human safety issues surrounding TNT and similar traditional chemical weapons, German scientists are developing explosives made using tetrazoles. Tetrazoles are found to be extremely stable and get their explosive power from nitrogen rather than the carbon found in TNT and company.

Two particular tetrazoles, HBT and G2ZT, have been tested in German labs and while they do produce hydrogen cyanide gases researchers have determined that they can mix each with oxidizers to counter the effects and even improve performance of the explosives.

So, is it worth it? I really don’t like the idea of bombs anyway but I suppose that if they continue to be produced then they should be more environmentally conscious. Spoof news network The Onion offers a more comical view of the subject with their reader commentary post titled Germans Making ‘Green Bombs.’

What do you think of these supposedly more eco-friendly bombs?

Image Credit: ten safe frogs at Flickr under a Creative Commons License