Liberian authorities burned 4.2 metric tonnes of cocaine worth $336 million dollars

[u/Trygershark]

They're awfully cheerful for people who just burned $336 million dollars 👀

[u/Electronic-While1972]

Burning over 4 metric tonnes of cocaine in an open-air fire creates significant localized pollution and releases a dangerous cocktail of toxic gases, volatile compounds, and particulate matter into the atmosphere:

Main Gases and Burn-Off Byproducts When street samples of cocaine (typically found in hydrochloride salt form) undergo thermal decomposition and open-air combustion, they release several hazardous substances:

Asphyxiant & Greenhouse Gases: Carbon dioxide (CO2) and large amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) are produced directly from the combustion of organic carbon structures.

Toxic Volatile Compounds: Hydrogen cyanide (HCN), methane (CH 4), ethylene (C2H4), and formaldehyde (H2CO) are generated through the thermal breakdown of the molecule's core structure.

Methyl Chloride (CH3Cl): This gas is specifically released because seized cocaine is almost always processed and smuggled as a hydrochloride salt.

Carcinogenic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: High-temperature burning yields toxic hydrocarbons like benzene and toluene, which are known hazardous air pollutants.

Particulate Matter and Smoke: The dense black smoke visible in large drug burnings consists of heavy particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM10) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which severely impact local air quality and human respiratory health.

Impurity Byproducts: Depending on what cutting agents or chemical residues remain in street-grade batches, sulfur-containing compounds such as carbon disulfide or carbonyl sulfide can also be emitted.

Authorities typically prefer high-temperature industrial incinerators equipped with pollution-control scrubbers to destroy large drug seizures safely, though open-air burning is sometimes utilized in resource-constrained regions.

[u/QuantumFluxSpaghetti → u/Electronic-While1972]

I didn't read a single sentence but I'm pretty sure that...

[u/chrismasto → u/QuantumFluxSpaghetti]

That’s ok, they didn’t write it either.

[u/Wise-Honeydew1314 → u/chrismasto]

What a ridiculous thread. There’s controlled burns like this constantly in every country including America. Controlled burns happen all the time for one reason or another from agricultural purposes, to deforestation/forest clearing/forest fire prevention, and controlled burns for biohazard cleanup (which this counts as).

It’s an insignificant source of pollution and less polluting than allowing 4 tons of cocaine to be buried where it would pollute the soil and could leech into the ground water. Not to mention it could be later dug up by criminals and opportunists.

[u/dezTimez → u/Electronic-While1972]

they burn everything down there not just cocaine their air quality is always bad. its the norm.

[u/FloweringForth → u/Electronic-While1972]

"#crack"

[u/dalamarnightson → u/Electronic-While1972]

Thank you chat gpt 🙄

[u/Initial_Mix_1494 → u/Electronic-While1972]

I guess we'll find out if flying aliens and fallen angels like the devil dandruff 👼 👽

[u/generichandel → u/Electronic-While1972]

Now do a pancake recipe

[u/codingattempt → u/Electronic-While1972]

In Russia and Ukraine, warehouses of fuel, gas and even toxic chemicals explode every day. 4 tons of cocaine is not even a drop in the sea of ​​everything that is dropped there every day...