Homemade Stink Bombs: Pranks, Rotten Eggs And Skunk Smells

Usually intended as a prank, homemade stink bombs create odors that can get a crowd's attention. When the sensory is offended, an awful smell can force the nose to be held shut, while a speedy distance is placed between the odor and the nose. A natural human reaction, homemade stink bombs command action and are concocted to emit unpleasant smells.

Used in harmless pranks to get a laugh and even studied by many government law enforcement agencies and militaries as a riot control agent, stink bombs are usually not dangerous. Homemade stink bombs are relatively easy to make and can be made with items used in everyday life.

Making homemade stink bombs requires a little pre-planning. Homemade stink bombs can be as simple as poking needle pin holes in eggs, allowing them to sit out and rot, and throwing them to release a small amount of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless, flammable gas having characteristics of rotten-egg odors. In confined areas, hydrogen sulfide can be very poisonous. A lethal dose will smell no more unpleasant than a merely annoying concentration, so keeping the homemade stink bombs pranks outside or in well ventilated areas is important.

To create the most effective odor with homemade stink bombs, focus is placed on smells of biological origin. Several mixtures of vomit, human waste, natural body odors, burnt hair, and rotting garbage are proven to be the most poignant of stenches. Less effective are single odors and smells associated with food and personal products, as overwhelming an individual with various odors leaves a more lasting impact.

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Defense was given the task of developing a stink bomb in an effort to explore less dangerous methods of crowd control. Tear gas and pepper spray, while effective at low concentrations, leave more lasting adverse effects than stink bombs. One of the smelliest substances is said to have been created by the U.S. Government. Named, the U.S. Government Standard Bathroom Malodor, the eight element chemically mixed stink bomb resembles the smell of human feces. Malodor is defined as a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant.

Exposures to other compounds like fatty acids produce a rancid, sour smell. Carboxylic acids such as propanoic acid release the smell of sweat. Stink bombs can incorporate thiols such as butanethiol that produce a skunk smell. Homemade stink bombs or chemically created stink bombs make-up can vary depending on chemicals or items mixed.

Homemade stink bombs still prove to be used as pranks. As recent as 2006, a stink bomb was released in Australia during an aircraft landing. The plane was said to smell of the most common odor in homemade stink bombs: rotten eggs. Melbourne detectives thought the smell originated from a broken glass vial which contained a clear liquid emitting a rotten eggs smell. Although found to be non-hazardous, the prank could have resulted in charges under the Civil Aviation Act for interfering with an aircraft/crew. The incident brought light to the fact that stink bombs can easily be purchased for as little as $1.50. Homemade stink bombs are easy to research and make as well.

Homemade stink bombs, chemically or naturally conceived, can set off numerous human reactions. From rotten eggs, to skunk smell, to rotten meat, one thing is for certain - most likely people will try and flee from the source of the offensive smells and the only one laughing, may be the prankster that released the homemade stink bombs.


Sources:
Burrow, Vanessa. "Police Hunt Virgin Stink Bomber." The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 May 2006. 12 May 2007. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/police-hunt-vi rgin-stink-bomber/2006/05/19/1147545500705.html."How to Make Stink Bombs." Wikihow. 12 May 2007. 12 May 2007.http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Stink-Bombs.
Lab Preparation of Ammonium Sulfide. CR Scientific. 12 May 2007. http://www.crscientific.com/nh4sulfide.html.
"Stink Bomb." Wikipedia. 11 May 2007. 11 May 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stink_bomb.
Trivedi, Bijal. "U.S. Military Is Seeking Ulitimate Stink Bomb." National Geographic Today. 7 Jan. 2002. 11 May 2007. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/01/01 07_020107TVstinkbomb.html