Christchurch, New Zealand Auto recycling and dismantling is a large and growing business in most modern countries. In New Zealand alone, it is estimated that 30,000 vehicles are scrapped or crushed each year for recycling purposes. Approximately 20 percent of those vehicles contain air bags with live energetic loaded cartridge actuated devices (CADs). Although safe guards, such as removing batteries from vehicles prior to dismantling, are effective in stopping electronic initiated CADS from functioning during the dismantling process, there are no standard regulations regarding how to safely dispose of airbags once they are out of the vehicles.

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