Hazard Class/Division 1.6: Articles Containing Extremely Insensitive Detonating Substances (EIDS)

Abstract : The interest in Hazard Class/Division 1.5 within the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) dates back to the late 1970s. In its 1977 revision of its document on the Transport of Dangerous Goods the United Nations (UN) Group of Experts on Explosive defined ''very insensitive explosives'' and limited them to Type B and E blasting agents. The Air Force requested the Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board (DDESB) concurrence/ approval for a Department of Transportation (DOT) hazard classification of 1.5L for Triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) and various TATB formulations. This represented the first instance of the UN Class 1.5 designation being sought for a DOD/DOE explosive.