Maritime securityCANBERRA offers new interactive CD for popular UltraRadia radiation monitor

We wrote yesterday about the mysterious attack last week on the Penildaba nuclear center in South Africa. Radiological terrorism is not beyond the realm of the possible, so equipping first responders, emergency personnel, and soldiers with radiation monitors should not be considered a luxury. There are other reasons why the radiation monitoring market is set to grow. Nuclear power is receiving more attention again — and the number of applications for new nuclear power plants is growing after a three-decade lull — as the price of oil increases and worries about global climate change grow. Then there is a need to deal with the legacy of the nuclear age to date — aging nuclear plants, clean up of nuclear waste storage facilities, but also dismantling of old nuclear warheads.

CANBERRA has something to say about all this. The company has been around for close to four decades (in 2001 it became part of the AVERA group, a $9 billion, 61,000 employee energy giant specializing in nuclear energy), concentrating on nuclear measurements, monitoring, and services. There is one device the company makes which caught our eye —UltraRadiac Personal Radiation Monitor — and last week the company released an interactive CD-based training course provides the new user of UltraRadia with step-by-step instruction to how to use the monitor. The CD allows the student to perform hands-on tasks and receive immediate feedback. The CD also includes an UltraRadiac simulator for extended practice with the monitor. The CD-based training is also useful as a refresher to those previously trained in the UltraRadiac’s use. The company says UltraRadiac is ideal for firefighters, HAZMAT teams, paramedics, and other first responders. It is small in size and light weight, an advantage for first responders and emergency personnel already weighed down but a lot of other gear and equipment.

The unit displays both the radiation levels and the total dose that is received. The user may choose between audible alarm signal or vibration to alert him or her when user-set dose rate or total dose alarm levels are exceeded. Note that the unit offers two separate alarm levels for both dose rate and total dose. The first alarm would generally be set at a level somewhat above natural background to alert the wearer that radiation is present. The second would then be set at a higher level, indicating a significant hazard that requires action. Another feature: The unit has a “stay time” feature that shows the wearer how much time — at the current dose rate — he or she can remain in place before a high dose alarm is reached. This is important for rescue team members who can better calculate how much time they can stay in an irradiated area — and thus prioritize rescue missions — before they have the evacuate the danger zone.

The rugged unit can also be used with a host computer, which is important for managing the health and safety of emergency personnel. The device features an optical RS-232 port, allowing for real-time data to be provided to a computer so that dose rate mapping or isodose curves can be generated. This allows supervisors to do manage dosage of personnel in field situations. The serial numbers of the users may be stored in the unit, then, upon use and possible exposure, the total accumulated daily or weekly dose can be read by a computer with but minimal operator attendance, and assigned to the user’s Radiation Dose file. CANBERRA appears to be thinking of everything: Stuff happens, so the system comes with various safeguards such as control key function restrictions against accidental erasing of accumulated dose or erroneous setting of alarm levels can be installed by computer through the infrared port.