In 1994, the deal hit a roadblock when McDonald's refused to move from a site earmarked for the vast compound.

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The fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas, which is only 20 miles or so from Waco, the site of the David Koresh compound fire.

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So EBI has developed a strain of bacteria that gobbles up the compound in wastewater collection systems by injecting the microbes right at the site.

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Mr. McFaul, who had left for Algeria the day after Christmas, called his wife from the site by cellphone early hours Wednesday and told her that there was gunfire and the compound was under attack, the spokesman said.

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To be termed a compound fracture, outside air with bacteria and debris are able to access the fracture site without skin or soft tissue serving as a barrier.

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Compound fractures are time sensitive and need to be treated immediately with copious irrigation to thoroughly clean the site of injury, followed by stabilization of the fracture with special hardware or mechanical devices (rods or pins).

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The challenges on the site are incredibly varied and include everything from a multinational food company looking for a "Reduced Fat Chocolate-Flavored Compound Coating" to an electronics firm trying to design a solar-powered computer.

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