WASHINGTON (AP) — Until the fertilizer company in the Texas town of West blew up last month and demolished scores of homes, many in that community of 2,800 didn't know what chemicals were stored there.
Around the country, hundreds of buildings like the one in West store some type of ammonium nitrate. They sit in quiet fields and by riverside docks, in business districts and around the corner from schools, hospitals and day care centers.
Fears of terrorism have made it harder for homeowners to find out what dangerous chemicals are hidden nearby.
The Associated Press examined public records on hazardous chemicals stored across America. Drawing upon information from 28 states, the AP found more than 120 facilities within a potentially devastating blast zone of schoolchildren, the elderly and the infirm.
