The plaintiff recalled – rightly – the dust from the bags of asbestos he'd haul up from the holds of ships of a certain freight line back in the 1950s. He thought his exposure to airborne particles of the mineral when he was a stevedore all those decades ago was responsible for his mesothelioma now – and he is very probably correct.

But he was mistaken in remembering a well-known corporate logo on the bags of asbestos.

"PIERS was able to provide the corporation’s defense attorneys with detailed historic data on shipments to the port at the time in question," says PIERS consultant Wael Jarous. "The evidence was clear: The corporation's products were not shipped to that port. The corporation could not be held liable for this plaintiff''s illness."

Jarous is often called upon to supply PIERS trade data for use in product liability and toxic tort cases. Another recent example: A contractor's claim that a worksite was asbestos-free was refuted by shipping records showing when asbestos entered the stream of materials for the project. "We just had to go further back in the supply chain," he explains.

"PIERS data is accepted as authoritative evidence in court," Jarous says. "Our historic data is especially useful in cases where many years elapse between exposure and injury, and exposure may have been from several sources."

To learn more about how PIERS trade data can help bring the facts of a legal case into focus, log on to www.piers.com/piersproducts/, or call +1 800 952 3839, ext. 7128.

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The idea is to make source codes and other identifying information part of the warp and woof of textiles.

Three technologies recommended by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have won Commerce's backing for fast-track development: fluorescent-ultraviolet marking, nanobarcode particles, and DNA-based marking.

While the Oak Ridge Lab is working on a combination of fluorescent-ultraviolet markings and nanobarcodes, the private sector is developing the DNA and fluorescent-ultraviolet techniques.

Applied DNA Sciences is already testing an embedded DNA marker with Harriet & Henderson Yarns. Applied DNA Sciences puts strands of plant genetic material into a colorless liquid that can be blended into the yarn during manufacturing. A hand-held scanner can be used to "read" the tag at any point in the production process and, subsequently, as the yarns move along the supply-chain to apparel makers and distributors.

Applied DNA Sciences says that the way it combines unique sequences of DNA code produces a "fingerprint" virtually impossible to replicate. Its DNA tags, which will not degrade for 100 years, and which can be embedded in ink, paint, glue, polymers, and labels, are also being promoted to the pharmaceutical industry.

The main object of testing at this juncture is to establish the economic feasibility of DNA tagging as an anticounterfeiting measure.

"Cost-benefit analysis is essential," says PIERS Chief Economist, Mike Fusillo, "High-tech solutions may be possible, but are they economically feasible? Do the dollars you invest in them buy measurable gains?"

Fusillo notes that the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection has taken pains to keep the new tamper-evident seals for containers developed under its Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism – C-TPAT – relatively low-tech and low-cost. "At less than $10 a container, the seals should pay for themselves in expedited clearance and lower insurance premiums."

"For the textiles sector," he continues, "the target cost of tagging is no more than a penny per pound of cotton ... which would work out to about $82 million annually given current cotton production estimates." And the return? Making a big dent in the $8 billion to $10 billion worth of textiles the American Textile Manufacturers Institute estimates is smuggled into the country annually.

A modest investment in PIERS commercial intelligence can yield significant returns. Companies can search the PIERS database to track their own brands and product names in order to see if their goods are being sold outside authorized channels, or involved in counterfeit trafficking. For more on how PIERS can help detect and prevent counterfeiting, diverted shipments, and breaches of contract, log on to www.piers.com/piersproducts/, or call +1 800 952 3839, ext. 7128.

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