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Article: Bomb Damage, Forensic Assessment
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- Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, andSecurity
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Bomb Damage, Forensic Assessment
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JUDSON KNIGHT
Just as fires and explosions are closely related phenomena in physical and chemical terms, bomb-damage assessment is an aspect of forensic science closely related to arson investigation. In both cases, authorities analyze a crime scene for telltale signs of the nature of the materials that facilitated the conflagration. In the United States, the two agencies most concerned with bomb-damage assessment at the federal level are the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), and the Explosives Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Both fires and explosions involve a physical change in materials, such as the ...