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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×

Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials

Interim Report

Committee on Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology

Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1997

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is interim president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and interim vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

This study was supported by Contract No. TATF-96-17 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of the Treasury. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Copyright 1997 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Limited copies of this report are available from:

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology

National Research Council

2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20418

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×

Committee on Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials

MARYE ANNE FOX,

University of Texas,

Chair

EDWARD M. ARNETT,

Duke University,

Vice Chair

ALEXANDER BEVERIDGE,

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

ALAN L. CALNAN,

Southwestern University School of Law

TUNG HO CHEN,

U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

HERBERT S. ELEUTERIO,

National University of Singapore

WILLIAM M. HAYNES,

Monsanto Company

ROBERT B. HOPLER,

Powderman Consulting, Inc.

ALEXANDER MacLACHLAN,

Department of Energy (retired)

LYLE O. MALOTKY,

Federal Aviation Administration

DAVID W. McCALL,

AT&T Bell Laboratories (retired)

DOUGLAS B. OLSON,

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

JIMMIE C. OXLEY,

University of Rhode Island and Gordon Research Conferences

ROBERT M. PENTZ,

Aerospace Corporation

ANTHONY J. SILVESTRI,

Mobil Research and Development Corporation (retired)

JUDITH BANNON SNOW,

Los Alamos National Laboratory

FRANK H. STILLINGER,

Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies

ANDREW E. TASLITZ,

Howard University School of Law

Liaison Members

JOHN J. WISE,

Mobil Research and Development Corporation (Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology)

EDWARD C. DOWLING,

Cyprus Amax Minerals Company (National Materials Advisory Board)

Project Staff

DOUGLAS J. RABER, Study Director and Director,

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST)

ROBERT SCHAFRIK, Director,

National Materials Advisory Board (NMAB)

GREG EYRING, Consultant,

NMAB

SANDRA HYLAND, Senior Program Officer,

NMAB

RYANNE J. MAYERSAK, Research Assistant,

BCST

TRACY D. WILSON, Senior Program Officer,

BCST

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology

ROYCE C. MURRAY,

University of North Carolina,

Co-Chair

JOHN J. WISE,

Mobil Research and Development Corporation,

Co-Chair

HANS C. ANDERSEN,

Stanford University

JOHN L. ANDERSON,

Carnegie Mellon University

DAVID C. BONNER,

Westlake Group

PHILIP H. BRODSKY,

Monsanto Company

MARVIN H. CARUTHERS,

University of Colorado

GREGORY R. CHOPPIN,

Florida State University

MOSTAFA EL-SAYED,

Georgia Institute of Technology

JOANNA S. FOWLER,

Brookhaven National Laboratory

JUDITH C. GIORDAN,

Villanova, Pennsylvania

LOUIS C. GLASGOW,

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company

JOSEPH G. GORDON II,

IBM Almaden Research Center

ROBERT H. GRUBBS,

California Institute of Technology

VICTORIA F. HAYNES,

B.F. Goodrich Company

GEORGE J. HIRASAKI,

Rice University

GARY E. MCGRAW,

Eastman Chemical Company

WAYNE H. PITCHER, JR.,

Genencor Corporation

GABOR A. SOMORJAI,

University of California at Berkeley

JOAN S. VALENTINE,

University of California at Los Angeles

WILLIAM J. WARD III,

General Electric Company

Staff

DOUGLAS J. RABER, Director

TAMAE MAEDA WONG, Senior Program Officer

TRACY D. WILSON, Senior Program Officer

MARIA P. JONES, Senior Project Assistant

RYANNE J. MAYERSAK, Research Assistant

SYBIL A. PAIGE, Administrative Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×

Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications

ROBERT J. HERMANN,

United Technologies Corporation,

Co-Chair

W. CARL LINEBERGER,

University of Colorado,

Co-Chair

PETER M. BANKS,

Environmental Research Institute of Michigan

LAWRENCE D. BROWN,

University of Pennsylvania

RONALD G. DOUGLAS,

Texas A&M University

JOHN E. ESTES,

University of California at Santa Barbara

L. LOUIS HEGEDUS,

Elf Atochem North America Inc.

JOHN E. HOPCROFT,

Cornell University

RHONDA J. HUGHES,

Bryn Mawr College

SHIRLEY A. JACKSON,

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

KENNETH H. KELLER,

University of Minnesota

KENNETH I. KELLERMANN,

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

MARGARET G. KIVELSON,

University of California at Los Angeles

DANIEL KLEPPNER,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

JOHN KREICK,

Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company

MARSHA I. LESTER,

University of Pennsylvania

THOMAS A. PRINCE,

California Institute of Technology

NICHOLAS P. SAMIOS,

Brookhaven National Laboratory

L.E. SCRIVEN,

University of Minnesota

SHMUEL WINOGRAD,

IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

CHARLES A. ZRAKET,

MITRE Corporation (retired)

NORMAN METZGER, Executive Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×

Preface

The Committee on Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials (see Appendix A) was appointed by the National Research Council to address four basic areas: (a) the viability of adding tracer elements to explosives for the purpose of detection, (b) the viability of adding tracer elements to explosives for the purpose of identification, (c) the feasibility and practicability of rendering inert common chemicals used to manufacture explosive materials, and (d) the feasibility and practicability of imposing controls on certain precursor chemicals used to manufacture explosive materials. (See Appendix B for a detailed statement of task.) As part of these tasks, the committee is also considering risks to human life or safety, utility to law enforcement, effects on the quality and reliability of the explosive materials for their intended lawful use, potential effects on the environment, and the cost-effectiveness of these approaches.

The study focuses on issues in science and technology, with the goal being to frame the issues and furnish a report that provides a clear description of the technical options that exist. The committee's final report of the results of this study will provide advice to officials of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms on which to base recommendations to Congress. It will also clearly set forth any opinions and findings obtained as a result of consultation with other federal, state, and local officials, regulated industry members, and fertilizer research centers. This interim report describes progress to date (March 1997) and summarizes recent workshop presentations concerning current developments and critical issues in “tagging” explosive materials for the purposes of detection or identification. The final report containing the committee's conclusions and recommendations will be published in February 1998.

In its initial meetings, the committee received a number of briefings (see Appendix C) and held subsequent deliberations. These presentations are summarized in this interim report. The reader is cautioned that the committee does not present any conclusions or recommendations in this report, as it believes it is premature to do so at this time.

This study is being conducted by the Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology with technical insights and assistance provided by the National Materials Advisory Board and its staff. The committee acknowledges this support. The committee is also grateful to the many individuals who provided technical information and insights during briefings at the committee's initial meetings. This information represents a sound foundation on which the committee can base its continuing work. The committee continues to solicit input from the scientific community and affected stakeholders on the issues delineated in the committee's charge and to consider other sources of information relevant to this study.

The chair is also particularly grateful to the members of this committee, who worked diligently and effectively on a demanding schedule to produce this interim report.

MARYE ANNE FOX, CHAIR

COMMITTEE ON MARKING, RENDERING INERT, AND LICENSING OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
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This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
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Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5755.
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Page R10
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