The National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) is "extremely concerned" that large quantities of chlorine could be purchased from an Internet-based company without the chemical company requiring identification or applying any other scrutiny to the purchaser, according to information from NACD.
On October 25, 2007, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) undercover operation purchased and received three 100-pound high-pressure cylinders of chlorine, using a credit card via the Internet. The "Operation Green Cloud" sting was part of a NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau investigation to determine how difficult it would be for a terrorist to obtain the hazardous material, according to NYPD information.
NACD has sent a letter to the New York City Police Commissioner expressing its concern after hearing about the incident. "This type of distribution is not representative of the responsible actions of NACD company members, who, as a requirement of membership in the association, must conduct product stewardship and exercise due diligence when selling potentially dangerous products to customers," the letter noted.
NACD said its members, who are industry leaders in health, safety, security, and environmental performance through implementation of the Responsible Distribution Process (RDP), are very disturbed at the irresponsible behavior of the companies involved.