A bomb squad in Colorado Springs removed a donated potential exhibit from a local museum Thursday after it was connected to early combat explosives.
The incident happened at about 2:05 p.m. at the Pioneer Museum, 217 S. Tejon St., according to the Colorado Springs Police Department crime blotter.
Museum staff was reviewing inventory when they came across an antique first aid kit that was donated “some time ago,” police said.
In the kit they spotted an item labeled “picric acid.”
“Picric acid is a chemical that was used extensively through World War II and becomes unstable and potentially explosive over time,” the blotter said.
According to Wikipedia, picric acid emits a pitched whine during combustion in air, which has led to its widespread use in fireworks.
Beside being used in munitions and explosives, picric acid was used as an antiseptic in the early 20th century, mostly as a treatment for burns, malaria, herpes, and smallpox, the Internet encyclopedia said. “It was most notably used for the treatment of burns suffered by victims of the Hindenburg disaster in 1937,” according to Wikipedia.
The Regional Explosives Unit and a Colorado Springs Fire Department hazardous materials team were called to the museum Thursday and safely removed the suspect item to a remote area for destruction.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
