The new BlastGard MTR series of trash receptacles can withstand the blasts of improvised explosive devices (IED's) such as pipe bombs and devices made of C4 and TNT by addressing all four distinct aspects of an explosion inside a trash receptacle:
1) primary fragmentation from the casing of the device or materials in contact with the explosive charge; 2) secondary fragmentation from the break up of the trash receptacle under explosive loading or the acceleration of adjacent articles in the trash receptacle; 3) air blast; and 4) thermal output from the fireball.
Kevin Sharpe, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Product Development for BlastGard International, whose background is in explosive engineering and the measurement and mitigation of blast in IED disposal scenarios, explains "the products currently being sold in the marketplace today are at best blast-resistant trash receptacles. They are not blast-mitigating trash receptacles."
"It is a given that any explosion mitigating trash receptacle must stop the primary fragmentation from escaping as this is the primary threat to the public. The bin also must not come apart under explosive loading, potentially adding to the lethality of the device."
"However, in addition to these two criteria, it is absolutely essential that the air blast, flash and fireball are effectively managed as well. Each can be equally lethal."
"A bin that is designed merely not to come apart will funnel the blast and fireball out of the open end much like a cannon. The blast effects of such an explosion will have catastrophic consequences for buildings and structures and on the human body."
BlastGard's CEO Jim Gordon stated that "the main purpose of a bomb resistant trash bin is to look and function like an ordinary waste bin. However, unlike the conventional trash bins seen today in governments facilities, airports, universities, malls, and other public places, these are developed to protect people from all of the harmful effects of an explosion."
"Unfortunately, there are currently no official standards for vendors to meet when developing bomb resistant waste bins. This makes it important to ask the right questions and exercise good judgment when purchasing and deploying a technology of this nature."
"In order for the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division to accurately evaluate the performances of blast resistant trash receptacles for the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness, it is critical that appropriate technical performance standards be established that define the degree of performance and resultant physiological damage in:
(1) preventing primary and secondary fragmentation, and (2) defining the actual pressure encountered at a given standoff distance. These parameters are both directly related to the lethality of such a blast, and they are easily measured to verify compliance."
Dave Fannon, President of Centerpoint Manufacturing, commented "We are very excited about the marriage of our two technologies. There is nothing on the market today that compares to the effectiveness of our new BlastGard MTR series of trash receptacles."
"Designed, tested and built in the USA using USA purchased materials only, the BlastGard MTR will withstand military and fragmentation explosive charges in the center, bottom and two sidewall positions, dramatically mitigating the effects of an explosion within the units by suppressing all of the principal hazards of blast, including shock, overpressure, fragmentation, heat, flash and fireball."
Blast mitigants such as BlastWrap have been shown to reduce blast overpressure by as much as 97% with distance and are regularly used in reducing the effects of explosions.
A complete report on the blast effects of pressure on the human body can be found on the Company's web site.