Detection

Radioactive Contamination Is Creeping into Drinking Water Around the U.S.
As mining, fracking and other activities increase the levels of harmful isotopes in water supplies, health advocates call for tighter controls.
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Belgium to Shut Down All Existing Nuclear Power Plants
The Belgian government has said all of the country’s existing nuclear energy plants will close by 2025. However, Belgium will invest in future nuclear technology.
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U.S.: Iran's Nuclear Breakout Time “Really Short”
An unnamed source within the Biden administration has said that the amount of time required for Iran to develop nuclear weapons if it chooses to do so is “really short,” adding that the situation was “alarming.”
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Getting Quickly to the Scene of a HAZMAT Incident
During a HAZMAT response, the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Strike Force (NSF), comprised of five specialized units of first responders, are ready to rapidly deploy to the scene. Getting quickly to the scene of a HAZMAT incident is critical—whether it’s an oil spill or release of chemical, biological, or radiological materials.
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Consortium to Combat Targeted Crowd Attacks
Ten universities formed a consortium to combat terrorist and criminal attacks on soft targets such as schools, hospitals, shopping malls and sports stadiums. “The challenges of keeping people safe in soft targets and crowded spaces gets more complicated every day,” said one expert.
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Aviation Self-Screening Concept and Prototype
DHS S&T has awarded $2.5 million to Vanderlande Industries to develop a passenger self-screening concept design and prototype that streamlines TSA PreCheck operations.
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Iran Can Produce One Nuclear Weapon in as Little as Three Weeks
The growth of Iran’s stocks of near 20 and 60 percent enriched uranium has dangerously reduced breakout timelines: Iran has enough enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6) in the form of near 20 and 60 percent enriched uranium to produce enough weapon-grade uranium (WGU), taken here as 25 kilograms (kg), for a single nuclear weapon in as little as three weeks. It could do so without using any of its stock of uranium enriched up to 5 percent as feedstock.
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Flood Sensors to Support NYC Real-Time Flood Monitoring, Response
In the face of climate change, which is likely to increase the frequency and severity of floods, NYC needs access to real-time data providing critical information on when and where flooding occurs.
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WMD Threat Sensors Deployed on Police Vehicles
DARPA’s SIGMA+ program completed a 3-month test in Indianapolis, in which CBRNE sensors were deployed on IMPD vehicles.
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Examining the Practically Nonfunctional Federal Biowatch Program
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense’s new report addresses inadequacies of BioWatch, the DHS environmental biodetection program. The report, released on the 20th anniversary of the anthrax attacks, shows that BioWatch system remains ineffective after nearly two decades of operation.
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Twenty Years After the Patriot Act, What Is the Future of Biosecurity?
The USA Patriot Act was signed into law twenty20 years ago, on 26 October 2001. Yong-Bee Lim, David Gillum, and Kathleen Vogel write Many changes have taken place since 2001, and “The Patriot Act’s top-down approach cannot fully address this emerging reality, the authors write. Despite twenty years of effort, some old biosecurity issues continue to plague the country, while a whole new biosecurity frontier is opening up.”
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Weapons-Detection Algorithm Studied at Las Vegas International Airport
This summer, DHS S&T demonstrated a new advanced algorithm to better detect non-explosive weapons like guns, knives, and other items that are prohibited on commercial aircraft in a real-world setting at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.
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Helping Keep Communities Safe from Chemical Hazards During Severe Weather
The destruction wrought by extreme weather is often spectacular in its devastation, but the quiet threat of subsequent chemical release can be just as deadly. Damage to infrastructure can lead to toxic substances like chlorine or ammonia contaminating our air and water.
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Quick Detection of Uranium Isotopes Helps Safeguard Nuclear Materials
Researchers have developed a rapid way to measure isotopic ratios of uranium and plutonium collected on environmental swipes, which could help International Atomic Energy Agency analysts detect the presence of undeclared nuclear activities or material.
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ShakeOut 2021: Earthquake Awareness Helps Community Preparedness
Nearly half of Americans are exposed to potentially damaging earthquakes where they work and live. Still others will be at risk when traveling. It’s a good idea for everyone, everywhere to know how to protect themselves during an earthquake.
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