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Biosecurity News in Brief
DC Hospital Begins Installing Radiation DetectorsBy Christine SooHoo, November 10, 2008 On November 4, 2008, the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, began installing radiation detectors as a means to notify hospital staff of the presence of radioactive materials. The detectors can differentiate between dangerous radiation and radiation commonly found in a hospital environment, such as radiation used in cancer treatments.1 The detectors can also distinguish different radioactive isotopes and detect removal of radioactive materials from the hospital. The detectors are integrated with an alert system that can send text messages to hospital employees’ cell phones.1 In related news, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) of DHS is executing a contract with 2 U.K. companies, Symetrica and Smiths Detection,* to develop a handheld and a backpack Human Portable Radiation Detection System.2,3 These devices would be used by emergency services, border patrol agents, customs and coast guard officers, and other law enforcement personnel. The DNDO contract has a potential value of US $222 million.3 * On October 30, 2008, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that Symetrica, in cooperation with Smiths Detection, has harnessed the ESA’s gamma-ray technology to develop a device that can identify radioactive material that has been mixed with explosives, in what is referred to as a “dirty bomb.” The device detects and analyzes bursts of gamma rays emitted from radioactive materials to create an identifying gamma-ray spectrum.1 It can also determine from where the radiation is coming and distinguish between normally occurring radioactive material and potential threats.1 References
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