Canada to curb AN, other bomb-making chemicals

21 August 2006 15:25  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Canada plans tougher rules for ammonium nitrate (AN) and other chemicals with bomb-making potential but officials said on Monday that the proposed new regulations would not hamper industry.

 

The regulations, proposed by Canada’s federal Ministry of Natural Resources (NatCan), come in response to an alleged terror plot discovered in June in the Toronto area where AN was planned to be used in the making of bombs. The new rules will mainly apply to AN but also include nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide above certain concentration levels, as well as chemicals such as potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, potassium chlorate, sodium chlorate, nitromethane and potassium perchlorate.

 

Susan Sykes, spokeswoman for the Ottawa-based Canadian Fertilizer Institute (CFI) said the new rules are not expected to hurt sale or trade of ammonium nitrate in Canada. “We don’t anticipate that as the regulations reflect existing industry practices and codes in place here,” she said.

 

Sykes said AN remains an important fertiliser product in western Canada and CFI does not anticipate that the product will be phased out in Canada in the foreseeable future. According to NatCan data, some 180,000 tonnes/year of AN are used in Canada.

 

The proposed regulations are expected to become binding law early next year, Sykes said. The regulations include security measures requiring the enrollment of sellers of the respective chemicals products, secure storage and regular inspections of stock, as well as detailed sales records and proper purchaser identification. Authorities will conduct inspections to ensure compliance and may suspend or cancel a seller’s enrollment if necessary.

By: Stefan Baumgarten
+1 713 525 2653

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