CORTLANDT, N.Y. (AP) -- Two Westchester County homeowners say they were stunned to find out they'd been living with a highly explosive acid in their basement for more than two decades.
Thomas Dorsey called authorities Friday, after spotting a bottle marked "poison" in his Cortlandt basement. The bottle came to light after the removal of a workbench built into the floor.
The bottle contained picric acid, a chemical used in making dyes and explosives.
Authorities removed the acid and detonated it safely, closing the street around the home for several hours. No one was hurt.
Dorsey has lived in the home since 1988. His wife, Judy Gallo-Dorsey, says it was "a shock" to find out the acid had been there all along.
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