From the "Is It True" Department

[KG4CGC]

WARNING! this is for everyone especial if you have children who help out with yard work...

Kids are putting Drano, tin foil, and a little water in plastic drink bottles and capping it up - leaving it on lawns, in mail boxes, in gardens, on driveways etc. just waiting for you to pick it up intending to put it in the rubbish, but you'll never make it!!! If the bottle is picked up, and the bottle is shaken even just a little - in about 30 seconds or less it builds up enough gas which then explodes with enough force to remove some of your extremities. The liquid that comes out is boiling hot as well. Don't pick up any plastic bottles that may be lying in your yards or in the gutter, etc. Pay attention to this. A plastic bottle with a cap. A little Drano. A little water. A small piece of foil. Disturb it by moving it; and BOOM!! No fingers left and other serious effects to your face, eyes, etc.
Please ensure that everyone that may not have email access are also informed of this.

Is it true?

Put your "Is It True" moments and PSAs here.

[kf0rt]

Snopes gives this one the green light: True.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp

[N8YX]

The simple expedient of unscrewing the cap defuses the situation.

[kb2vxa]

The interesting part is the reaction is unpredictable so the "bomb" can prank the prankster. Caustic burns are a great teacher.

[W5GA]

Way back in the high school days, a friend and I did this to fill balloons. I'm not chemist enough to know what gas is produced, but it sure flares nicely when you light a piece of waxed thread tied on the balloon. Just don't do it near trees!

[KA9MOT]

These are works bombs. We used to build them years ago, and once the caustic hits the aluminium foil, it starts. Screw the cap down and they make a nice boom. I can see that it would be possible to pick one up at the wrong time, but highly unlikely as there is only a few seconds (60+/-) from mixture to boom. I say false. Certainly alarmist. Good wholesome fun. By the way, there is no explosive force. The bottle fills up with the gas and bursts. Put one in a cardboard box, and the box remains undamaged. Flammable? I do not know, we never tried to light one on fire. I can tell you that if picked up, you will get some chemical on you, but it washes off. I wouldn't want it in my eyes, that would suck.

Nobody ever lost finger, hand or head from one of these. Tape 100 sparklers together real tight and that is a different story.

[HUGH]

Sodium Hydroxide plus Aluminium foil = Hydrogen plus heat.

What a lovely trick, (not). Try a length of stick with a nail in the end to burst the container and lift it to somewhere where it won't burn holes in your grass and, of course, keep pets away.
The Drano will dissolve the kid's skin, especially when it's hot. Perhaps parents should lock chemicals like this away, it's hardly innocuous.

[W9WLS]

AHHHH YESSS,,,, Back Yard Ballistics !
We used to make home-brewed hand grenades using potash permanganate and glycerin ( no I will not give the whole design here) nice flash bang and burn (fire) is temperature sensitive though, the warmer the ambient temp the quicker the reaction.
Combine with home-brew napalm and you had quite a show (from a safe distance of course).

[kb2vxa]

Backyard ballistics, the real deal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZEjpCiyQo

[KG4CGC]