New Haven, Conn. — Seven large drums of fertilizer found in the backyard of a home in a New Haven neighborhood late last month brought out the police bomb squad, local firefighters, state environmental department investigators, and the FBI, who were concerned that it could be the ingredients for bomb-making. “If we find fertilizer that’s not at a company providing lawn care or some other legitimate service, concerns of terrorism obviously are on our minds,” explained New Haven police spokesman David Hartman. “That’s why the FBI and all the others showed up.” Hartman didn’t say, but Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Yale School of Medicine being in the same neighborhood could have heightened concerns. Sgt. Peter Moller told the local press that officials were exercising due caution with the response. After concerns were put to rest, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was contacted to remove and dispose of the drums, which were tucked in the backyard of the home, located near Interstate 95. Their investigation indicated that the homeowner had had what he described as liquid organic fertilizer in the yard for some time, and tests indicated that the contents of the barrels were neutral Ph and did not constitute any danger. One neighbor reported that the fertilizer had been in the back yard for at least eight years, saying the owner even offered some to her in the past for her plantings.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain