A land-shaking explosion of eggnog is under investigation

Usually we think of enjoying our eggnog by a nice warm fire but an explosion? How's that?

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For some, eggnog is an ambrosia that only comes around once a year, and the idea of being in the midst of an explosion of eggnog stuffs might seem like a dream come true for those who are giddy with kid-joy when it comes to the seasonal drink. But when a vat of eggnog flavoring exploded in Totawa, New Jersey, on Saturday night, August 2, many found that this was not the stuff of fantasy dreamscapes. With alarming damages resulting from the explosion, officials were quite surprised that not more than two employees of Pharmachem’s Laboratories for making flavorings for foodstuffs weren’t injured.

The explosion was significant, blowing the whole back out of Pharmachem Laboratories’ three-story building. The explosion sent the roof flying and blasted nearby windows to smithereens. Near-by neighborhoods were reported to feel the vibrations of the blast up to a mile away.

It’s worrisome that something in the vat of eggnog flavoring might ignite and even more worrisome that no one knows what might have caused the incident. Workers had just begun mixing a new eggnog flavoring recipe for the laboratory when the substance had “somehow ignited.” “Who knew that the artificial ingredients in eggnog could be that combustible?” related one eyewitness news reporter at WABC-TV.

Some ingredients found on the labels of certain store bought eggnog containers can be flammable on their own. One such chemical found in a search is sodium citrate. No news has been reported about particular ingredients in Pharmachem Laboratories’ new mix for eggnog flavoring so there is no way to tell which chemicals at this point in time may have caused the spark.

An investigation is currently underway at the laboratory. Totowa Fire Marshals are trying to get down to the bottom of the explosion’s cause. All anyone knows at this point is that there was a big vat with the new recipe mix in it and something set it alight.

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com