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10-43: Be Advised... with Doug Wyllie, PoliceOne Editor in Chief

Tip: So-called 'works bombs' can cause injury

What do you get when you combine water, sodium hydroxide (more commonly known as drain cleaner, particularly “Drain-O” or its myriad low-cost variant imitators), and a handful of small balls of aluminum foil in a plastic soda bottle? On first evaluation, you get some random trash. But when a person grabs and disturbs this debris, what you actually have on your hands (or what’s left of your hands) is a very significant “boom” that can leave you without a number of your fingers (or worse).

These things are often called “Works Bombs” apparently after the brand name of a particular Drain-O knock off, and despite being incredibly low-tech, they’re very effective at causing significant bodily harm if not disposed of properly.

Admittedly, these things have been around a while, but with summertime heat often comes an uptick in the mischief caused by people who simply have more time on their hands than brains in their heads. Because people are — for the most part — total knuckleheads, these little devices are increasingly being found left in mailboxes or other such places, ostensibly as “practical jokes.”

Are these devices deadly? No. Would one ruin your whole day? Probably. Check out the below video...

Stay safe out there.