-
Graphene foam detects explosives better than gas sensors
Researchers demonstrate that graphene foam can outperform leading commercial gas sensors in detecting potentially dangerous and explosive chemicals; the discovery opens the door for a new generation of gas sensors to be used by bomb squads, law enforcement officials, defense organizations, and in various industrial settings
-
-
Study promises possible therapy for radiation sickness
Studies of potential radiation therapies suggest they would be effective in humans only if administered within a few minutes or hours of radiation exposure, thus making them impractical for use in response to events involving mass casualties; the larger time window for administering a new 2-drug regimen ofeers the prospect that it could become a mainstay of the response to public health threats such as a nuclear power plant accident or nuclear terror attack
-
-
TSA chief says no new study needed on airport body scanners
Weeks after agreeing in principal to an independent study on the health effects of full-body scanners, TSA administrator John Pistole told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that a new study is not needed to confirm the machines’ safety
-
-
Source of mysterious European radiation found
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believes a Hungarian factory producing medical isotopes is the source of the mysterious radiation that has been detected across Europe; beginning four weeks ago, trace amounts of iodine-131 were detected by several countries including Austria and the Czech Republic
-
-
Examining shoes for trace amounts of explosives – discreetly
NIST has been developing a prototype shoe sampling system that relies on aerodynamic sampling as the primary mechanism for liberating, transporting, and collecting explosive contamination
-
-
Sector Report for Monday, 21 November 2011: Detection
This report contains the following stories.
Plus 1 additional story.
-
-
Europe bans the use of backscatter body scanners
In its approval of full body scanners for use at airports last week, the European Union banned the use of scanners that relied on backscatter radiation due to safety concerns; these types of scanners are widely used in the United States and have been source of sharp criticism, yet the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has continued to insist that they are safe
-
-
DNDO progressing on Helium-3 alternative
DHS is one step closer in its quest to find an alternative to Helium-3, a key element used in radiation scanners that detect illegal nuclear or radiological materials; DHS’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) recently announced that it had completed its final analysis on Helium-3 alternatives
-
-
EU to allow full-body scanners at airports
In response to the continued threat of terrorism, the European Union (EU) recently passed legislation that would formally European airports to use full-body scanners; prior to Monday’s announcement, trial usage of full-scanners was limited to a period of thirty months; under the new rules, member states will have the option for unlimited deployment of the scanners, but will not be required to use them
-
-
National Guard and first responders hold dirty bomb drill in upstate NY
In a unique training exercise, hundreds of New York National Guardsmen and local emergency personnel responded to a simulated dirty bomb explosion in downtown Kingston in upstate New York over the weekend
-
-
Hybrid detector monitors alpha, beta, and gamma radiation simultaneously
By combining three layers of detection into one new device, a team of researchers from Japan has proposed a new way to monitor radiation levels at power plant accident sites; the device could limit the exposure times of clean-up workers by taking three measurements simultaneously
-
-
Sector Report for Monday, 7 November 2011: Detection
This report contains the following stories.
Plus 1 additional story.
-
-
Researchers develop printable explosive detectors
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing a low-cost explosives detector that can be printed on an inkjet printer; the explosive detector uses a wireless sensor to detect trace amounts of ammonia, a key chemical used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the deadliest killer of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
-
-
New York police officers equipped and ready to detect dirty bombs
Law enforcement officials operating in the New York City region are trained and equipped to intercept dirty bomb threats
-
-
New detector can identify homemade explosives in under a minute
A new technique could help investigators identify the type of explosive used in an attack in less than sixty seconds; the new technology is designed to aid security personnel in detecting homemade explosives, which are more difficult to detect
-
The long view
What We’ve Learned from Survivors of the Atomic Bombs
Q&A with Dr. Preetha Rajaraman, New Vice Chair for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.