Few people today give much thought to the role that explosives play in their lives each day and how they are linked to our standard of living and our very way of life.  Explosives provide the means to free up the vast resources of the earth for the advancement of civilization.

Few people know that 42 different minerals are used to make a telephone and 35 are used to make a color television. Even everyday products such as talcum powder, toothpaste, cosmetics and medicines contain minerals, all of which must be mined using explosives.

In fact it is difficult to think of any product that is not extracted from or improved upon through the use of explosives.  The roadways we travel on and tunnels we travel through are built by first breaking rock using explosives.  The cars we travel in contain steel, copper, aluminum, and zinc — all raw materials extracted from the ground using explosives.  Our computers are built using gold, silver, copper and silica.  Our power sources — coal, fuel, natural gas pipelines, hydroelectric dams — are extracted or built using the power of explosives.