Maker Of Airbags Linked To 8M Recalled Vehicles Used Unusual Chemical Explosive For Inflation – Consumerist

Takata, the Japanese/German auto-parts maker, that supplied airbags used in millions of recalled vehicles employed an unusual explosive chemical to inflate the safety devices, which may have contributed to the spraying of metal shrapnel at vehicle passengers.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the chemical will likely become the focus of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigators as they continue a probe into the defective airbags that have so far been linked to four deaths and 30 injuries in the United States.

Chemicals have long been the powerful mechanism behind airbags. That’s why after some crashes, the driver or front-seat passenger in a vehicle may have chemical burns on their skin.

Typically the inside of an airbag contains an igniter that heats an aspirin-sized tablet of compressed chemical. The ensuing reaction fills the airbag with gas, inflating it at speeds reaching a few hundred miles per hour.

Takata began using ammonium nitrate in its airbags in the late 1990s, because of the chemical’s ability to make airbags inflate in a matter of milliseconds.

Maker Of Airbags Linked To 8M Recalled Vehicles Used Unusual Chemical Explosive For Inflation – Consumerist