West, Texas is a city located in McLennan County, central Texas. It has a population of approximately 2,800 people. On the evening of Wednesday 17 April 2013, a massive explosion occurred in the town. The West Fertilizer Company; which is owned by Adair Grain Inc. which had supplies of anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate among other agricultural products; it was the center and cause of the explosion. It is not the first time that an explosion like this has occurred in the state of Texas; in 1947 in Texas City, in an explosion that caused nearly 600 deaths, ammonia was a key part of the explosion (Jonsson, 2013). Anhydrous ammonia is stored as a liquid in pressurized tanks and after being sold to local farmers, use it by injecting it directly into their soil where it then turns into a gas. It has a melting point of approximately -108 degrees Fahrenheit and an explosive range of a lower explosive limit (LEL) of 15% to an upper explosive limit (UEL) of 28% when mixed in air. Ammonium nitrate is typically found and used in its prill form where it is spread in fields as a fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate does not, under normal circumstances, pose an explosive hazard on its own, but when combined with some sort of fuel it will act as an oxidizer during that process, literally adding fuel to the fire. “Both of these common fertilizers can become explosive under the right conditions.” (Fernandez & Schwartz, 2013) The West Fertilizer Company began business in the small town from which it took its name in 1962. It was licensed, authorized, and inspected by the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Agency for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission...... middle of document ......andez, M., & Schwartz, J. (2013, April 18). Huge explosion at a fertilizer factory in Texas. New York Times. Fernandez, M., & Schwartz, J. (2013, April 18). A plant explosion destroys the heart of a Texas city. New York Times.Fink, J. (2013). West Fertilizer Plant Cited for Safety Failures. Dallas: CBS DFW.Formby, B., & Wilkins, E. (2013, August 2). Obama, the House aims to regulate chemicals. The Dallas Morning News. Gebrekidan, S., & Schneyer, J. (2013, May 3). Exclusive: At the Texas fertilizer factory, history of theft and tampering. Reuters. Gillam, C. M. (2013, May 7). Deposits of ammonium nitrate exploded at a Texas plant: state agency. Reuters. Jonsson, P. (2013). Why did West, Texas build homes and schools next to a "ticking time bomb"? Christian Science Monitor.Schneyer, J., McNeill, R., & Roberts, J. (April 20, 2013). The Texas Fertilizer company did not comply with disclosure rules before the explosion. Reuters.