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Aerial of Kooragang Island. Image via Flickr user Tim J Keegan, CC licence 2.0

As Lebanon reels in the aftermath of a catastrophic ammonium nitrate explosion, residents in the Australian port city of Newcastle are calling for their own stockpile of the chemical—four times the size of that which triggered the Beirut blast—to be moved away from the CBD and surrounding suburbs.

At least 100 people have been confirmed dead, nearly 4,000 are injured, and as many as 300,000 have lost their homes as a result of the explosion in the Lebanese capital, which officials have linked to a massive stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port for years.

Orica’s Kooragang Island plant in the Port of Newcastle currently stores between 6,000 and 12,000 tons of the stuff—up to four times the amount that wreaked citywide devastation on Beirut. It’s also located within 800 metres of residential housing and less than three kilometres from the city’s CBD.

“It’s a totally inappropriate place to have such a dangerous material produced and stored, and it’s something we’ve been complaining about for many, many years,” Keith Craig, one of 300 residents who has long called for the Orica plant to be either relocated or have its stockpiles drastically reduced, told the ABC. “Many people would be killed and injured if we had an accident at Orica.”

Explosives expert Tony Richards echoed those concerns, telling Fairfax: “if that went off, people in Sydney would say ‘what the hell was that?’ And the answer would be: ‘it used to be Newcastle’.”

In response, Orica—one of the world’s largest providers of commercial explosives and blasting systems—insisted there was no need to worry about their mass stockpile of ammonium nitrate. In a statement, the multinational corporation said that while thousands of tons of the highly explosive chemical is indeed stored at the plant on any given day, there are stringent practices in place to ensure its safe storage and handling.

“Ammonium nitrate storage areas are fire resistant and built exclusively from non-flammable materials,” they said. “There are no flammable sources within designated exclusion zones around these areas.”

It is believed that the Beirut blast was caused by a fire in a nearby port that spread to the warehouse where the ammonium nitrate was being stored. It is the latest in a number of similar explosions to have occurred over the past 10 years—including one incident in Texas that killed 15 people and destroyed an estimated 150 buildings in 2013, and another in France that killed 29 people in 2001. About 300 tons of ammonium nitrate was stored at both facilities.

It’s worth noting that plants used in the production and storage of ammonium nitrate and other explosive chemicals are not uncommon, and there are presumably thousands of facilities just like the ones in Beirut, Texas, and Paris all over the world. Ammonium nitrate is one of the world’s most widely used fertilisers, and in order for there to be a detonation there has to be a smaller shock, ie a firework explosion, to trigger it.

But Priyan Mendis, a professor of engineering and explosion expert from the University of Melbourne, pointed out that although the risk of an explosion at the Newcastle plant is low, it cannot be ruled out—and Orica is thus under an obligation to reassess its operations.

“I can understand the concerns of the residents in Newcastle, of course there is a risk,” he told the ABC. “The ammonium nitrate has to be triggered, something like a fire has to happen. But given the scale of the event in Lebanon I think Orica needs to review things and reassess what would happen here.”

Orica is licensed to produce up to 385,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate a year, most of which is bought and used as an explosive by the mining industry.

In 2014 another mining and explosives chemicals manufacturer, Incitec Pivot, won approval for its own storage facility on the Port of Newcastle’s Kooragang Island, which would have the capacity for 30,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate—more than ten times the amount that blew up in Beirut. It has not yet built the facility.

Following the Beirut explosion, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab condemned the failure to safeguard the dangerous stockpile that caused the blast as unacceptable, and promised harsh consequences for those found responsible.

“It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures,” he said. A probe has been launched, with the investigating committee due to refer its findings to the judiciary within five days.

Diab further declared three days of national mourning, and appealed for international assistance.

“We are witnessing a real catastrophe,” he said in a televised address. “I make an urgent appeal to friendly and brotherly countries… to stand by Lebanon and to help us heal our deep wounds.”

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Boing shares these words from our sponsor Genuine Evaluated CBD

Keto is the nutritional diet plan taking the health world by storm. More people are turning to CBD edibles, like People CBD Gummies, for their dosage of daily CBD.

What is cannaflour and how is it made?
Not like butter or cooking oil infusions, cannaflour includes cooking with and taking in ground-up cannabis. Cannaflour is easy to prepare and is a core staple of cooking with cannabis. To correctly prepare your cannaflour, be sure you are using cannabis that has been decarboxylated cannabis (aka, heated up) ground very finely. The preparation and storage of cannaflour is very essential, to ensure freshness and taste. To decarboxylate your marijuana, preheat oven to 200-250 degrees. On a large baking sheet, spread your marijuana and place in oven in between 40-60 minutes, rotating the sheet or flipping the marijuana throughout to guarantee even heating. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Next grind your marijuana as finely as possible, using a blender or food mill.

Related: If you’re trying to find a high-strength CBD tincture, take a look at Blue Ribbon Hemp’s 5,000 mg CBD tincture!

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Next, integrate 1/2 cup carefully ground marijuana with 1 cup flour of your option for a cannaflour mix. Or keep your ground and dried cannabis in a separate air-tight container and add to flour or recipes straight. Remember, whether as a combined mixture or on its own, cannaflour will have an earthy herbal taste to it. For this dish, our cannaflour preference is 1 tablespoon of pure cannaflour combined with almond and coconut flour as dry ingredients for a great keto-friendly mix.

Now that we have our cannaflour, let’s come down to the yummy goodness! Keep reading for a tasty and elevating Keto Pumpkin Loaf.

Cannaflour Keto Pumpkin Loaf

• Cannaflour 1 Tablespoon
• Almond Flour 1 1/4 Cups
• Coconut Flour 1 1/4 Cups
• Psyllium Husk 2 Tablespoon
• Flaxseed 1/2 Cup
• Gaia Goldenmilk Mix or Turmeric 1 1/2 Tbsp
• Pumpkin Pie Spice 2 Tbsp
• Baking Powder 1 Tbsp
• Walnuts Chopped 1/4 cup
• Pumpkin Seeds 1/4 cup
• Eggs 3
• Demerara or Coconut Sugar 2 Tbsp
• Unsweetened Apple Sauce 1/2cup
• Pumpkin Puree 15 oz
• Coconut Oil 4 Tbsp
• Ghee 1 Tbsp

Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 F 1. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl with a whisk. 2. Combine all wet active ingredients in different bowl.
3. Fold together with dry active ingredients.
Bake in a greased loaf pan for about 50 minutes or up until a toothpick comes out clean! Try to let the loaf cool before slicing and delighting in with butter, whipped cream, cream cheese, or your favorite nut butter.
6. Stay stoney!

For more CBD dishes like this one, ensure to check out CBD Senior Citizens!

When international travel resumes after COVID-19 lock downs are relieved, most travelers will likely feel a little worried to get back to the airport.

Along with all the regular travel stress factors like long lines to survive security, and possible hold-ups, a return to traveling will also include bigger stress and anxieties like keeping yourself and your liked ones healthy and safe and not adding to any more spread of the infection.

Once it’s safe to take a trip again, bring a little helper along to relax and reduce any anxiety is a fantastic idea. August 8th is National CBD day, and this natural stress reducer can be an outstanding companion on long journeys.

So, to celebrate National CBD day, we asked some experts from Sunday Scaries to share the guidelines relating to taking a trip with CBD.

What is CBD?

CBD or cannabidiol is a compound found in the Marijuana sativa or cannabis plant. It’s not the part that people smoke to get high, however, some have reported that it makes them feel calm, relaxed and that it can alleviate pain.

You can get CBD in mints, oil, cosmetics and even sparkling drinks, like the all-natural CBD beverages from Bimble They come in Grapefruit Basil Mint or Blueberry Lemon Ginger flavor and include 25 mg of broad-spectrum hemp extract.

CBD can be an outstanding help to help with travel concerns and stress and anxieties, however can you take a trip safely with it and what are the guidelines around carrying it from place to put?

The Farm Bill of 2018 made a distinction between CBD derived from hemp and that from cannabis. It made hemp derived CBD legal federally, meaning it can be transported across borders.

Nevertheless, there have actually been other updates to the rules surrounding CBD and travel.

CBD and Travel

We asked Mike Sill and Beau Schmitt, Co-Founders of Sunday Scaries, about the TSA policies worrying CBD and which products gain a place in their carry-on bag.

Why should tourists pack CBD for their journey?

Mike Sill: “If you’ve ever been stuck on the runway, experienced flight hold-ups, and long security lines, then you know the unavoidable struggles and aggravations that include traveling.

I constantly take a trip with my Sunday Scaries CBD Tincture to assist put my mind at ease.”

The 1-ounce bottle, which consists of 500 mg of CBD, is in line with the TSA policies concerning liquids, as well as the rules that CBD must be topped at 0.3%of THC.

Just how much CBD can you fly with?

Beau Schmitt: “Thanks to the TSA clarifying its policies last May, (May 2019) flying with CBD products including less than 0.3%THC in your carry-on is now permitted.”

Lots of states have altered their guidelines concerning CBD however as lots of CBD oils still remain prohibited at the federal level it is very important to carefully examine TSA regulations before taking a trip. You can discover them here.

Why do you carry CBD on flights?

Beau Schmitt: “From being stuck in a middle seat to crying children, a lot can throw me off throughout a flight, and for this factor, I constantly keep CBD gummies in my hand like a safety blanket.”

Sunday Scaries CBD Gummies include 10 mg of CBD per gummy in addition to vitamins D3 and B12

The company likewise makes other CBD instilled products consisting of vegan gummies without the typical gelatin found in other gummy items, casts, caffeinated YOLO shots, and the oh so quite and fun Unicorn Jerky

These colourful rainbow CBD candy strips were initially provided to celebrate Pride but were so popular that they have ended up being an irreversible component.

Before You Fly

If you are taking a trip globally and decide to take CBD with you, you’ll wish to really thoroughly check the rules of the country you will be coming to, as policies do vary around the world.

If you need a little non-alcoholic choice me up before you fly or while we are all grounded in your home throughout lock downs grab a chilled Bimble instead and prepare that next flight someplace interesting!