# Billygoat eats TNT. That a problem? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 27, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234 "2010-09-27T16:02:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/1 "2010-09-27T16:02:38Z")
This is going to be one of the weirder questions that this board has ever seen, I’m sure. It came from the plot of an episode of the Andy Griffith Show. A goat found a case of dynamite and ate the whole thing. Andy, Barney, and the whole gang were worried that the animal would go off. They were careful not to upset the goat or have it have any impact in any way. One guy thought it would be a good idea to shoot the goat, but that idea was quashed because the goat might fall over and, you know, kablooey! What would actually happen in this case? Could a goat actually eat a whole case of TNT? Does TNT go off on impact, or does it need some sort of fire to set it off? If the former (and I’m thinking that’s how guns work), wouldn’t the goat chewing it set it off? Wouldn’t the acids in the goat’s stomach render the TNT inert? It’s just these sorts of questions that ruin the television experience for me… ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/2 "2010-09-27T16:05:18Z")
Good thing it was a goat, and not old Farmer Smith’s bull. That would have been abominable. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/3 "2010-09-27T16:12:03Z")
It sounds a bit like the plot of Henry Lawson’s [The Loaded Dog](http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Loaded_Dog), except that in that story the dog didn’t eat the explosive, but just carried it in its mouth (with the fuse lit). So Lawson’s story doesn’t raise the question of the interaction of the explosive and the animal’s stomach (before the explosive goes off, of course). (And Lawson’s short story is well worth reading – the above link is to a copy.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/4 "2010-09-27T16:12:58Z")
From the Wikipedia page on Trinitrotoluene: > [@](#): > > TNT was first prepared in 1863 by German chemist Joseph Wilbrand[3] and originally used as a yellow dye. _Its potential as an explosive was not appreciated for several years mainly because it was so difficult to detonate_ and because it was less powerful than alternatives. TNT can be safely poured when liquid into shell cases, and _is so insensitive that in 1910, it was exempted from the UK’s Explosives Act 1875 and was not considered an explosive for the purposes of manufacture and storage_ Emphases mine. > **[TNT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene)** > > Trinitrotoluene (/ˌtraɪˌnaɪtroʊˈtɒljuiːn/), more commonly known as TNT (and more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene), is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagent in chemical synthesis, but it is best known as an explosive material with convenient handling properties. The explosive yield of TNT is considered to be the standard comparative convention of bombs and asteroid impa TNT wa... ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/5 "2010-09-27T16:24:41Z")
Lots of Nobel gasses? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/6 "2010-09-27T16:27:09Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Good thing it was a goat, and not old Farmer Smith’s bull. That would have been abominable. We can find you, you know. > [@lieu](#): > > Lots of Nobel gasses? And you. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/7 "2010-09-27T16:27:43Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Good thing it was a goat, and not old Farmer Smith’s bull. That would have been abominable. _golf clap_ ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/8 "2010-09-27T16:28:42Z")
Well he certainly didn’t have to worry about angina episodes. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/9 "2010-09-27T16:30:58Z")
Don’t try to take it on an airplane anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/10 "2010-09-27T16:40:37Z")
My emphasis: > [@tdn](#): > > This is going to be one of the weirder questions that this board has ever seen, I’m sure. > > It came from the plot of an episode of the Andy Griffith Show. A goat found a case of **dynamite** and ate the whole thing. Andy, Barney, and the whole gang were worried that the animal would go off. They were careful not to upset the goat or have it have any impact in any way. One guy thought it would be a good idea to shoot the goat, but that idea was quashed because the goat might fall over and, you know, kablooey! > > What would actually happen in this case? Could a goat actually eat a whole case of **TNT**? Does TNT go off on impact, or does it need some sort of fire to set it off? If the former (and I’m thinking that’s how guns work), wouldn’t the goat chewing it set it off? Wouldn’t the acids in the goat’s stomach render the TNT inert? > > It’s just these sorts of questions that ruin the television experience for me… So which was it? Dynamite or TNT? Dynamite would be easier to detonate, but also more likely to kill the goat by poisoning. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/11 "2010-09-27T16:47:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > It’s just these sorts of questions that ruin the television experience for me… There are good reasons some TV shows aren’t considered E/I. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/12 "2010-09-27T17:00:41Z")
> [@naita](#): > > So which was it? Dynamite or TNT? You know, up until an hour ago I didn’t know there was a difference. Thanks, Wiki, for enlightening me. I don’t remember which it was, but [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0512590/) says it was dynamite. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/13 "2010-09-27T17:00:45Z")
Goat probalby woulda died. From [TNT - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene#Safety_and_toxicity) > [@Wikipedia](#): > > TNT is poisonous, and skin contact can cause skin irritation, causing the skin to turn a bright yellow-orange color. During the First World War, munition workers who handled the chemical found that their skin turned bright yellow, which resulted in their acquiring the nickname “canary girls” or simply “canaries.” > > People exposed to TNT over a prolonged period tend to experience anemia and abnormal liver functions. Blood and liver effects, spleen enlargement and other harmful effects on the immune system have also been found in animals that ingested or breathed trinitrotoluene. There is evidence that TNT adversely affects male fertility, and TNT is listed as a possible human carcinogen[4]. Consumption of TNT produces red urine through the presence of breakdown products and not blood as sometimes believed.[5] ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/14 "2010-09-27T17:04:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Alfred Nobel worked hard to improve [nitroglycerine](http://nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/articles/life-work/nitrodyn.html) as an explosive that could be used in blasting rock and in mining. He made one of his most important discoveries when he found that by mixing nitroglycerine, an oily fluid, with kieselguhr, the mixture could be turned into a paste. This material could be kneaded and shaped into rods suitable for insertion into drilling holes. He called his paste dynamite and went on to develop a blasting cap which could be used to detonate dynamite under controlled conditions. Seems like Mayberry’d be a nitroglycerin kind of town. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/15 "2010-09-27T19:49:38Z")
If it was dynamite, which is nitroglycerin absorbed into something to make it more stable, the poor goat would at the very least have a serious headache, and possibly much worse problems that that. > [@Wikipedia](#): > > The side effects of nitroglycerin include lack of sexual desire, headache, painful urination and increased bowel movements.[citation needed] Patients are often told to sit or lie down during and immediately after taking nitroglycerin to reduce the risk of low blood pressure. A drop in blood pressure can be accompanied by weakness or dizziness.[18] > > Shortly after the invention of nitroglycerin, this substance was noticed to be capable of inducing a violent headache. Headaches are the most prominent side effect of nitrate therapy. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/16 "2010-09-27T19:59:20Z")
Commercial Dynamite is nitroglycerin (NG) combined with an absorbant, usually cellulose like wood sawdust or amonium nitrate, material that acts to desensitive the explosive and provide structure to it. The result is a mixture rather than a new chemical compound and the nitroglycerin can/does come back out of the mixture in high temperatures and if left alone for a period of time. You’ll find some reference to “turning” the dynamite in storage to keep the NG from separating out. The leaking or pooling NG is just as sensitive as the original to shock initiating. The dynamite is usually listed with a percentage in its name, i.e. 40%, which reflects the percentage of NG in the mixture. There are various “safer” combinations which encapsulate the NG retarding the time it takes for the liquid to settle out of the mixture. It would be toxic to the goat if a crate was eaten. NG by itself is very sensitive to shock especially if frozen. TNT is an entirely different explosive. Also toxic in “crate” quantities. Insensitive to incidental shock [yes, you can hit it with a bronze or berillium hammer]. Workers here are subject to weekly blood tests and are removed from the TNT processing areas when abnormalities show up. Some take up to a month to recover [eliminate from the system] before they can go back to work in the TNT area. They do other explosive work, just not with the exposed TNT. The levels they are exposed to are very low but even with protective mask, clothing, and gloves; the TNT builds up in the body. Note that “Military Dynamite” is actually just TNT in a cylinder or rectangular block form. No NG is involved. It’s about 60% as powerful as a similar sized block of commercial dynamite. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/17 "2010-09-28T01:31:50Z")
OK, so let’s say you have two goats. One eats a bunch of dynamite. The other eats a bunch of TNT. Which goat is in more danger, both short-run and long-run? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/18 "2010-09-28T02:20:02Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > OK, so let’s say you have two goats. > > One eats a bunch of dynamite. > > The other eats a bunch of TNT. > > Which goat is in more danger, both short-run and long-run? The Dynamite, on two levels. Firstly nitro is acutely poisonous, and can kill you if you swallow just a few grams. In contrast you’d probably need to eat 100 grams or more of TNT to kill you. Goats are more resistant to oral poisoning than people, but you’d expect the same ratios to apply. Second, nitro is less stable, and a crate that has been left lying around where a goat can get to it is liable to be sweating. There was an old method of eliminating feral pigs which involved placing a detonation cap in the feed source. The pressure of the animals’ teeth was more than enough to detonate the explosive and kill the animal. Chewing on a stick of sweating Dynamite is likely to produce the same effect, but if it did detonate it would almost certainly trigger the whole box, vaporising the goat and leveling any nearby structures. Good fun for all involved. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/19 "2010-09-28T03:24:03Z")
Good thing it wasn’t a sheep. Lighting the fuse would result in: Siss Boom Baa! ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234/20 "2010-09-28T11:16:02Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Good thing it wasn’t a sheep. Lighting the fuse would result in: > > Siss Boom Baa! Hiyo! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billygoat-eats-tnt-that-a-problem/555234.md?page=2)