• Russian sources: Gas leak in China contained phosgene

    A 5 June gas leak in a Chinese plant located near the Russian border caused a gas cloud to waft over the border and kill several Russin citizens; Russian scientists say the gas contained phosgene, a known chemical warfare agent with a lethal concentration of 0.01-0.03 milligrams per liter

  • Next generation of nukes may not happen

    The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) had argued that the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) was needed because it would be safer to stockpile and harder for terrorists to acquire and use, but Congress was not persuaded

  • Thermo Fisher's radiation detection system available commercially

    Thermo Fisher Scientific launched its intricate radiation detection system during last year’s Labour Party conference in Bournmouth; company now makes system available for the wider markets, targeting first responder, nuclear power, industrial, and medical facility protection

  • 5th Bomb Wing flunks nuclear inspection

    Last August six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles were mistakenly loaded onto a B-52 Stratofortress at Minot Air Force Base in South Dakota and flown to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana — a serious violations of the U.S. Air Force’s regulations regarding flying nuclear weapons over U.S. terrotiry; heads rolled; the Defense Threat Reduction Agency came back to Minot on 17 May to conduct an inspection of how nuclear weapons were being handled now — and issued a scathingly critical report

  • Iranian-born U.S. citizen charged with nuclear smuggling

    The Iranian-born engineer worked for seventeen years at Palo Verde nuclear plant, about fifty miles west of downtown Phoenix, the largest U.S. nuclear plant; he loaded software onto his laptop, and took the laptop to Iran

  • Microwave: Nondestructive imaging technology of the future?

    Microwaves on a chip may replace X-rays for medical imaging and security

  • Bluetooth-based traffic tracking system

    Bluetooth-based traffic tracking system would provide information on the speed of the morning commute — or the sluggishness of airport security lines

  • IAEA: Iran evasive about its nuclear program

    Iran’s march toward the bomb continues unabated; the U.S. intelligence community may have concluded that Iran had “halted” its nuclear weapons program in 2003, but a UN atomic agency says indications are to the contrary

  • Turning buses into mobile sensing platforms

    Modern buses could be used as mobile sensing platforms, sending out live information that can be used to control traffic and detect road hazards, according to European researchers

  • Super-sensitive spray-on explosive detector

    A new explosive detection system: A spray detects the presence of just a billionth of a gram of explosive, and shows the difference between nitrate esters, such as trinitroglycerin, and nitroaromatic explosives, such as TNT

  • Nanotechnology-based biosensor

    NASA develops nanotechnology-based biosensor that can detect trace amounts of specific bacteria, viruses, and parasites; New York-based Early Warning, Inc. will initially market the sensor to water treatment facilities, food and beverage companies, industrial plants, hospitals, and airlines

  • Jimmy Carter: Israel has 150 nuclear bombs

    Former president breaks a 40-year taboo which saw U.S. officials — and Israeli officials — refuse to make explicit references to Israel’s nuclear arsenal

  • Boston biolab: Panel urges review of possible lab threats

    As community opposition to the almost-complete Boston University biolab continues, a panel of experts says neighborhood’s concerns — and safety — should not be excluded from consideration of final approval for lab opening

  • Civilian nuclear facilities in Sichuan confirmed safe

    The Chinese government has identified 32 radioactive sources in the earthquake-devastated Sichuan area - hospitals, research centers, factories, but no power plants; 30 sources have already been located and removed; the two remaining sources have been cordoned off and are being excavated

  • An HSDW conversation on hazmat detection with Frank Thibodeau, vice president, Bruker Daltonics NBC Detection Corp.

    Each year, 1.7 to 1.8 million carloads of hazardous material (hazmat) are transported by rail in the United States; hazmat detection is essential in preventing accidents developing into catastrophes; Bruker Daltonics’ RAID-M, offering sensitivity and specificity, monitors concentrations of both chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemical vapors in ambient air