When the news first talked of the “bombs” at Georgia Tech, I wondered if it was a dry-ice bomb. According to the AJC it was. The exploded bottle in this picture is the remains of “device” that Theodore Hollot made.
Dry-ice bombs are nothing more then a sealed container with frozen CO2 and water. The water heats the dry ice, which sublimates from a solid to a gas, and the gas builds up in the container until it fails. Think of it as a carbonated drink on steroids. While the bomb is explosive it’s not combusive, with no flames or heat. And while the pieces of the bomb do go flying, it’s more sound with little force behind it.
If you have ever seen fog in a theaterical production, it may have been created with the use of dry ice. And on some of the productions I worked in the past we made CO2 bombs when we were done with the dry ice. At the end of a particularly tough traveling production, the crew was blowing off steam after dealing with a lighting designer who was a complete nightmare. After the last show while both the traveling crew (my guys) and his crew were celebrating the end of last show, he retreated to his office. And he was on the receiving end of a dry-ice bomb near his office door, made by one of his crew. Scarred the shit out of him, but no harm came to him.
So the kid at G-Tech, screwed. In a less paranoid time, he may have faced some moderate disciplinary action and continue on with his education. Hopefully terror-related hysteria won’t prevail, and the kid will be subject to a level-headed and appropriate punishment and he will continue attending the school.
Neon Poisoning 