Selected Aspects of Gas Generants Research

Battelle's Columbus Laboratories recently completed an objective review of gas generants research for the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association. This paper describes highlights of that program and summarizes its key results. Included are assessments of what is known about the safety, health, and environmental effects of the subject gas generants and a narrative presentation of the salient results for a selected set of critical exploratory experiments conducted by Battelle. Scope of the subject program covered the complete life cycle of the gas generant materials and their associated passive restraint systems--i.e., the manufacturing phase, the consumer use phase, and the disposal/recycling phase. Apparent open issues are identified and considerations for future action are presented.