Do they always blow up suspicious packages?

Generally the disposal processes is the one considered most prudent--throwing it in the harbor wouldn't be my choice for severl reasons--explosions under water behave completely different than explosions in the air--they tend to have a greater danage range since water is an incompressible fluid rather than air which is a compressible one. The compressibility (springiness) of air absorbes the energy of explosions and since it sounds like this is an urban setting you have to consider what infrastructure is under water. The there is reactivity and dispersion--water may disperse certain toxins better than air, may reactact with the materials of construction etal.

Finally, the disposal people have muffling containers that are design to dissipate the energy of an explosion. Usually these containers look like large baskets so that there is little containment for the gasses released in the explosion but good containment of the shrapnel.

An aside--almost 20 years ago I was called into an EOC for a suspicious package (it had an exposed electrical wire) delivered to the credit union at a military site---after careful handling the package was transported to a range where it was destroyed by shooting it at a fair distance (>100 yards) with an M-16. The bullet riddled package was then examined and found to contain a car radio. It seemed that a former employee had an automobile repossessed by the credit union and he had removed the origional radio. All he was doing was returning the OEM radio to the credit union. That good deed ended up costing more thn the car.

Rap

Not here in Albuquerque. They first send out the sniffer squad and the bomb squad to investigate.

The latest incident turned out to be something Betty Crocker dropped on her way to the library.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/local/central/White-powder-scare-at-KAFB-non-threat-dr

"White powder" at KAFB was cake mix
Responders were worried it was dangerous, at first

Updated: Thursday, 06 May 2010, 2:13 PM MDT
Published : Thursday, 06 May 2010, 1:16 PM MDT

* Reporter: David Romero

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The suspicious package with white powder leaking out at Kirtland Air Force Base was determined to be cake mix.

The package was found between a library and the Official Mail Center on the base just before 9 a.m. Thursday. Emergency responders including security forces, the fire department and an Explosives Ordinance Team all from the base worked to clear the area.

A 2,500 square-foot area was blocked off while the biohazard teams tried to determine that the powder was not a danger. Just before 10 a.m., the white powder was found to be cake mix, not anything life-threatening.

There were no injuries related to anyone who handled the package or teams that worked the scene. The Official Mail Center near where the box was found handles personal mail for active duty soldiers and confidential mail for agencies on base.

Ah well this was in front of a bank....maybe....

it wouldn't be too bad though if throwing it in the harbor caused structural damage to our building - I'd get a full day off then rather than just a couple of hours sitting in the sun.

We just got this email about the suspicious package -

"...Following an assessment of the package, authorities determined that it was not dangerous, removed it, and allowed our employees to enter and exit ..."

If they removed it, then why the boom?

Nice cake mix. Did someone taste it? How the h*ll do they determine what it is - or did some one fess up in embarassment that they spilled it?

Im sure the bomb squad had a portable GC unit to smell for Ammonia or Nitrates (key chemicals in many high explosives). If there was any question, theyd dump it in a bomb cannister and detonate . (Size of "bomb" pretty much determines blast range, unless its nuclear or FA)
I think its more convenient and safe to detonate rather than having another potential "unexploded ordinance' laying around in the river bed

After the boom, I also smelled something in the air. And walking into the office - I could see what looked like a black trash barrel that was torn a bit. I was a distance away so it was hard to tell for sure.

Welcome to my xmas.