Not to make light of this tragedy, but exploding sugar?
Duke physicist Robert Behringer says this actually is a well-known phenomenon. If particles of combustible material -- including food grains, coal, wood and chemical products -- become airborne and collect in an enclosed space, a wayward spark can cause them to explode just as gasoline vapors would. A deadly 2003 blast at a pharmaceutical plant in Kinston, N.C., is analyzed here.
Behringer studies the behavior of various types of granular materials that can cause th
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"What we study is part and parcel of the larger spectrum of how granular materials behave and how they can best be handled," Behringer says. "We don't focus on the specific type of event that triggered the sugar refinery explosion. And the problem, as I see it, is that nobody seems to be looking closely at this. In practice, the primary idea simply seems to be, 'if you work with these kinds of materials, you'd better make sure they don't accumulate in the air.' "
For its part, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in October 2007 announced a new National Emphasis Program for inspecting workplaces that create or handle combustible dusts. But while states are encouraged to take part, participation is not (OSHA's emphasis) required.
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