Production of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil blasting agents which when deto-nated resultin gaseous mixtures of low toxity

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PRODUCING DETONABLE MIXTURES OF AMMONIUM NITRATE AND PETROLEUM OILS IN REGULATED PROPORTIONS SUCH THAT WHEN DETONATED THE FUMES PRODUCED ARE OF LOW TOXICITY, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES MIXING WITH THE PETROLEUM OIL A CONTROL OIL-SOLUBLE DYESTUFF TO PRODUCE A COLORED PETROLEUM OIL OF A DEFINITE COLOR, MIXING THE THUS COLORED PETROLEUM OIL CONTAINING OIL-SOLUBLE DYESTUFF WITH AMMONIUM NITRATE TO UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTE THE COLORED PETROLEUM OIL THROUGHOUT THE AMMONIUM NITRATE AND PRODUCE A CONTROL SAMPLE HAVING A PREDETERMINED COLOR SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE COLOR OF THE DESIRED MIXTURE OF AMMONIUM NITRATE AND PETROLEUM OIL IN PROPORTIONS SUCH THAT WHEN THIS MIXTURE IS DETONATED FUMES OF LOW TOXICITY ARE PRODUCED, MIXING AMMONIUM NITRAE WITH COLORED PETROLEUM OIL HAVING THE SAME DYESTUFF AND IN THE SAME RELATIVE PROPORTIONS AS IN THE COLORED PETROLEUM OIL EMPLOYED TO PROLUCE SAID CONTROL SAMPLE, AND REGULATING SUCH MIXING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COLOR OF THE CONTROL SAMPLE TO PRODUCE MIXTURES OF AMMONIUM NITRATE AND COLORED PETROLEUM OIL IN WHICH THE COLORED PETROLEUM OIL IS UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE AMMONIUM NITRATE AND THE MIXTURES HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME COLOR AS THE COLOR OF THE CONTROL SAMPLE, AND WHICH MIXTURES UPON DETONATIONI RESULT IN A GASEOUS ATMOSPHERE OF LOW TOXICITY.