What is a 'taggant' and how would it help in CSI?

What is a 'taggant' and how would it help in CSI?

Richard Saferstein (Former Chief Forensic Scientist) gives expert video advice on: How is evidence of an explosion collected in CSI?; How is an explosive identified in CSI?; What is a 'taggant' and how would it help in CSI? and more...

The concept of a taggant is a very interesting one. The thought is that if you could add some foreign substance to an explosive material, that when the explosion does occur those so-called taggants would then be found at the scene of the explosion and could easily be collected for further identification. However, in the United States and most countries of the world the concept of a taggant has not been accepted. I believe there's just one country in the world, in Europe actually, that uses taggants. So, it's a concept that has not yet met acceptance throughout the world.