Marking of Plastic
Explosives:
tagged for detection
One of the outcomes of the Lockerbie incident was that states agreed
that commercially manufactured explosives ought to be tagged in order
to better facilitate their detection if they were to fall into the wrong
hands. Paul Quellin explains the nature of tagging, the challenges
encountered and the effectiveness of the resolution.
s a trainer I have begun to vapour pressures (less than 10
-4
Pa at
A
wonder about the wisdom “…the requirement 25°C) plasticised.
of harking back to events of As a quick explanation, this usually
the mid- to late-80’s in to include taggants entails taking an explosive chemical in
presentations, given that I powder form and mixing it with plasticiser
increasingly find that many of in plastic explosives such as Isobutylene (a soft plastic putty
my trainees had not even been born when like compound). The plasticiser need not
some of the better known sabotage was really all about be soft, though when the explosives are
incidents took place. I will, however, have to used with a material which sets as a
put my concerns to one side for the explosive trace hardened substance, these are referred
purpose of this article and go back, once to as “plastic bonded explosives”.
again, to the destruction of Pan Am 103. It detection and a
didn’t represent the greatest loss of life in A Question of Vapour
an aircraft sabotage incident, but it was comparatively Detection
certainly an incident notable for stirring the On the 1st of March 1991, we were not
industry into overdue action in a number of primitive form at even close to implementing 100% Hold
areas. Whilst Pan Am 103, of course, is Baggage Screening; in fact, we hadn’t even
famously associated with the move that…” identified all the necessary technologies
towards screening 100 percent of with which we could achieve it. The
international checked baggage, there were requirement to include taggants in plastic
other spin offs too; and the marking of Montreal in early 1991 and the explosives was really all about explosive
Plastic Explosives for detection was one assembled states signed the convention trace detection and a comparatively
that impacted on other industries as much document on the 1st of March. The primitive form at that. It is worth
as our own. convention was to require member remembering that, at this point in time, the
UN Security Council resolutions and States to ensure that all explosives that particulate detection equipment we now
General assembly resolutions of 1989, fell into the family of “plastic take for granted was not deployed, and
put pressure on ICAO to expedite its explosives”, including those in flexible much of it was not even developed. What
work on marking of plastic explosives for sheet form, be marked with one of four we did have in the way of trace detection
detection purposes. The UN convention agreed taggants. Their definition of was in the form of unsophisticated vapour
on Marking of Plastic Explosives for the “plastic explosives” referred to the use detectors and the addition of taggants was
Purpose of Identification was held in of raw explosive materials with low really all about triggering this technology.
14 April 2008 Aviationsecurityinternational
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