| Making bomb-building more difficult
Ammonium nitrate is a widely used fertiliser which has been used in several IRA attacks, the World Trade Center bombing in New York in 1993, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the Bali bombing in 2002, amongst others. Millions of tonnes of ammonium nitrate are produced each year for use as a fertiliser. It can be turned into an explosive by mixing the chemical with fuel oil and, while it is not necessarily easy for would-be bombers to do this with fertiliser-grade ammonium nitrate, it is not impossible. New Scientist magazine has reported that, to combat the threat, Speciality Fertilizer Products, a company based in Belton, Missouri, is patenting a water-soluble polymer coating for the fertiliser granules that repels fuel oil. The coating dissolves rapidly in soil, so it does not interfere with ammonium nitrate usage as a fertiliser. If widely adopted, the treatment could make it harder for terrorists to turn fertiliser-grade ammonium nitrate into bombs, and could also help prevent industrial accidents.
•Date:
18th March 2004 •Region: N.America/World
•Type: Article •Topic:
Terrorism |
