this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2026
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They threw balloons over the fence to weaken concrete with Salt, Acetic Acid, Peroxide, and acrylic paint at some bare concrete and steel where a facility is going to be built.
I feel like the guy with the paint didn't understand the memo.
I feel like none of these things will actually weaken concrete, unless it’s being added to the concrete mix itself.
The concrete is actually highly acidic but the outer layer cures to become alkaline and the two layers together end up becoming water resistant, so by adding acid to the surface it can lose its water repellent capability and weaken faster.
If the concrete were sealed with a wax or an acrylic then Acetone would also be effective.
Oh really? I honestly never considered that possibility and always thought of concrete as a kind of inert “stone,” I find this legitimately interesting.
My understanding is that the genius of such attacks is they don't actually have to do the damage but if there's the fear of chemical damage you don't want to build the rest of a building on top of it.
This right here is the answer. The possibility that the concrete cure was all or partially disrupted can mean the concrete has to go away and be re-poured.
That would be a great reason to announce the damage as well, which they did.
Check out the Hoover Dam. It's concrete is still curing to this day!
Stone itself isn't inert either?