Taggant
Encyclopedia
A taggant can mean a radio frequency
microchip
used in automated identification and data capture
(see RFID). In such cases, electronic devices use radio waves to track and identify items, such as pharmaceutical products, by assigning individual serial number
s to the containers holding each product. This technology may prevent the diversion or counterfeiting of drugs by allowing wholesalers and pharmacists to determine the identity and dosage of individual products.
A taggant is also a chemical or physical marker added to materials to allow various forms of testing. It is believed that they generally consist of microscopic particles built up in many layers, which are made of different materials. It is a somewhat secretive process, but products that may be affected include ink, paper, perfume, and medication. Taggants allow testing marked items for qualities such as lot number and concentration (to test for dilution, for example). In particular, taggants are known to be widely used in plastic, sheet and flexible explosives.
in, for example, airport
screening of luggage
; and the other to assist the police
in finding the culprits after the detonation
of such a bomb.
chemicals which will slowly evaporate from the explosive and can be detected in the atmosphere
by either detection dog
s or specialised machines. They are intended to allow the presence of a bomb containing the explosive to be detected
. Although various technologies exist to detect untagged explosives, detection taggants help to increase their reliability and their inclusion in explosives is mandatory in many countries, for example in the United States
pursuant to the Antiterrorism Act
of 1996.
There is a choice between four possible detection taggant chemicals which must be added to plastic explosive
s under the 1998 International Civil Aviation Organization
's Convention on the Marking of Explosives for the Purpose of Identification. In the United States
the marker is always 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane, usually called DMDNB
or DMNB. Dog
s are very sensitive to it and can detect as little as 0.5 parts per billion in the air, as can specialised ion mobility spectrometer
s. Other taggants in use are ethylene glycol dinitrate, known as EGDN and used to mark Semtex
, ortho-mononitrotoluene
(o-MNT), and para-mononitrotoluene (p-MNT).
particles.
Whilst detection taggants are universally used, this is not the case with identification taggants; in particular there are arguments that there may be minimal benefit in practice to law enforcement agencies compared to the cost to industry
of the taggant. One reason cited is that most terrorist attacks use homemade explosives, for instance in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
, and in the Oklahoma City
and Omagh
bombings. Contamination of the site is also cited as a problem, since countless different taggants might be present at a crime scene from, for example, explosives used to obtain the building materials.
Switzerland
passed a law in 1980 requiring taggants in explosives manufactured there, and that the code must be changed every six months. So far it is the only country which requires identification taggants. Imported explosives must be tagged only if competing products are also manufactured in Switzerland.
Taggants are sometimes used by brand owners and governments to authenticate commonly counterfeited items. Taggants are integrated into the material of the item itself or into the packaging. Once integrated, the taggants can only be verified with specially engineered readers.
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
microchip
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
used in automated identification and data capture
Automated identification and data capture
Automatic Identification and Data Capture refers to the methods of automatically identifying objects, collecting data about them, and entering that data directly into computer systems...
(see RFID). In such cases, electronic devices use radio waves to track and identify items, such as pharmaceutical products, by assigning individual serial number
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
s to the containers holding each product. This technology may prevent the diversion or counterfeiting of drugs by allowing wholesalers and pharmacists to determine the identity and dosage of individual products.
A taggant is also a chemical or physical marker added to materials to allow various forms of testing. It is believed that they generally consist of microscopic particles built up in many layers, which are made of different materials. It is a somewhat secretive process, but products that may be affected include ink, paper, perfume, and medication. Taggants allow testing marked items for qualities such as lot number and concentration (to test for dilution, for example). In particular, taggants are known to be widely used in plastic, sheet and flexible explosives.
Explosive taggants
There are two types of taggant which can be added, one to help detect the presence of a bombBomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
in, for example, airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
screening of luggage
Luggage
Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers which hold a traveller's articles during transit.Luggage is more or less the same concept as "baggage", but is normally used in relation to the personal luggage of a specific person or persons Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers...
; and the other to assist the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
in finding the culprits after the detonation
Detonation
Detonation involves a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations are observed in both conventional solid and liquid explosives, as well as in reactive gases...
of such a bomb.
Detection taggants
These are volatileVolatility (chemistry)
In chemistry and physics, volatility is the tendency of a substance to vaporize. Volatility is directly related to a substance's vapor pressure. At a given temperature, a substance with higher vapor pressure vaporizes more readily than a substance with a lower vapor pressure.The term is primarily...
chemicals which will slowly evaporate from the explosive and can be detected in the atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
by either detection dog
Detection dog
A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to and works at using its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, or blood. Hunting dogs that search for game and search dogs that search for missing humans are generally not considered detection dogs...
s or specialised machines. They are intended to allow the presence of a bomb containing the explosive to be detected
Explosive detection
Explosive detection is a non-destructive inspection process to determine whether a container contains explosive material. Explosive detection is commonly used at airports, ports and for border control.-Dogs:...
. Although various technologies exist to detect untagged explosives, detection taggants help to increase their reliability and their inclusion in explosives is mandatory in many countries, for example in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pursuant to the Antiterrorism Act
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-132, 110 Stat. 1214, is an act of Congress signed into law on April 24, 1996...
of 1996.
There is a choice between four possible detection taggant chemicals which must be added to plastic explosive
Plastic explosive
Plastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is a soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as putty explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
s under the 1998 International Civil Aviation Organization
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
's Convention on the Marking of Explosives for the Purpose of Identification. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the marker is always 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane, usually called DMDNB
DMDNB
DMDNB, or also DMNB, chemically 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane, is a volatile organic compound used as a detection taggant for explosives, mostly in the United States where it is virtually the only such taggant in use. Dogs are very sensitive to it and can detect as little as 0.5 parts per billion...
or DMNB. Dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s are very sensitive to it and can detect as little as 0.5 parts per billion in the air, as can specialised ion mobility spectrometer
Ion mobility spectrometer
Ion-mobility spectrometry is an analytical technique used to separate and identify ionized molecules in the gas phase based on their mobility in a carrier buffer gas...
s. Other taggants in use are ethylene glycol dinitrate, known as EGDN and used to mark Semtex
Semtex
Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. Semtex became notoriously popular with terrorists because it was, until recently, extremely difficult to detect, as in the case of Pan Am...
, ortho-mononitrotoluene
Mononitrotoluene
Mononitrotoluene, or methylnitrobenzene or nitrotoluene , is a group of 3 organic compounds, a nitro derivative of toluene...
(o-MNT), and para-mononitrotoluene (p-MNT).
Identification (or post detonation) taggants
These are added to the explosive so that the manufacturer and batch number can be determined if it is used illegally. The taggant must survive the explosion and not be contaminated by the environment afterwards. Several different technologies have been tried, but probably the most common are microscopic polymerPolymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
particles.
Whilst detection taggants are universally used, this is not the case with identification taggants; in particular there are arguments that there may be minimal benefit in practice to law enforcement agencies compared to the cost to industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
of the taggant. One reason cited is that most terrorist attacks use homemade explosives, for instance in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
1993 World Trade Center bombing
The 1993 World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,336 lb urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device was intended to knock the North Tower into the South Tower , bringing...
, and in the Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
and Omagh
Omagh bombing
The Omagh bombing was a car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army , a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, on Saturday 15 August 1998, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Twenty-nine people died as a...
bombings. Contamination of the site is also cited as a problem, since countless different taggants might be present at a crime scene from, for example, explosives used to obtain the building materials.
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
passed a law in 1980 requiring taggants in explosives manufactured there, and that the code must be changed every six months. So far it is the only country which requires identification taggants. Imported explosives must be tagged only if competing products are also manufactured in Switzerland.
Taggants for Brand Protection
When used as a chemical marker, taggants can be used for authentication of products and documents.Taggants are sometimes used by brand owners and governments to authenticate commonly counterfeited items. Taggants are integrated into the material of the item itself or into the packaging. Once integrated, the taggants can only be verified with specially engineered readers.
Common Taggant Anticounterfeiting Benefits of using Taggants for Brand Protection
- Taggants are invisible to the naked eye
- Taggants can only be detected with specially-engineered equipment
- Taggant technology is extremely difficult to reverse engineer
- Once integrated into an item, taggants make the item permanently and cannot be removed.
- Many unique codes can be manufactured if desired
- The technology is one of the more cost-effective options available on the market for the purpose of brand protection
Common Taggant Anticounterfeiting Applications
- Tax Stamp authentication
- Banknote authentication
- Cigarette anticounterfeiting
- Alcohol anticounterfeting
- Pharmacutical Anticounterfeiting
- FMCG anticounterfeiting
Other goods that Use Taggant Technology for Anticounterfeiting
- Automotive parts
- Fuel
- Energy products