(b)
Safety Record of Product
(1)
"Provide information of accidental detonations. (if any) involving finished product during storage, transportation, handling or use.
$1
In over seventeen years of producing and marketing Tovex® water gel explosives we know of no accidental detonations during transportation, storage, handling or use of these products. During this period in excess of 808,000 metric tons (1,778 million pounds) have been used in the U.S.A. and
overseas.
(2)
"Provide information of accidents (if any) involving fire or explosion during manufacture of the type of explosives to be manufactured."
During the same seventeen year period we have not had any fires or explosions during mixing, pumping or packaging of cartridged or bagged Tovex® water gel explosives or in the down-the-hole delivery of bulk Tovex® water gel explosives utilizing pump
trucks.
(3) "Provide information of accidents (if any)
involving fire or explosion during the transportation, storage or handling of the
product ingredients.
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Two incidents have occured with monomethylamine nitrate (MMAN) which is used as the primary sensitizer for Tovex® formulations.
The first occurred on August 6, 1974, when a tank car of 86% MMAN solution detonated during switching operations in a rail yard at Wenatchee, Washington, U.S.A. The incident was fully investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board whose findings are given in their Report No. NTSB-RAR-76-1 dated February 2, 1976. The Safety Board was unable to determine probable cause but as a result of the incident authorization to ship MMAN solution in tank cars was withdrawn.
In addition to the investigation by the Safety Board which had Du Pont participation, Du Pont conducted an extensive investigation of its own. This work led to the conclusion that the most probable cause of the accident was high speed impact of rail cars being switched into the group of cars containing the MMAN tank car which caused coupler override of the adjacent rail car and puncture of the head of the tank on the MMAN tank car. This sequence of events could have produced adequate energy to initiate the MMAN solution.
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