Shielding Olympic Dreams: Security at the 2012 London Games

London is bustling as athletes, trainers, reporters, and spectators pour in for the 2012 Olympic games starting this month.  The city has been preparing to host the 2012 Olympic Games since mid 2005 when London was announced to be the winning bidder.  The need for security in London has been an integral part of these preparations, especially considering the lethal subway bombings that pounded London the very next day after the bid announcement.

Security won’t be cheap for the 2012 Olympics: estimates for security costs top $1.6 billion.  This enormous cost is partially due to concerns that didn’t exist in previous Olympics.  In addition to defending against terrorist attacks and violent crowds that are a threat at nearly any major sporting event, Olympic organizers are even planning to defend against cyber-attacks that could upend athletic events and programs.

Security efforts started long ago for the 2012 Olympics. source

An incredible amount of manpower is also going to protect against dirty bombs – small explosive devices containing dispersible radioactive material.  As one expert involved in London security stated, “The main risk is radioactive materials which may be used to contaminate an area or combined with conventional explosives to create a so-called ‘dirty bomb.”¹  This type of easy-to-construct bombs could be extremely disruptive to any event. The fear of contamination brought on by a dirty bomb could shut down a venue for years.  The risk is all too real at this point in preparation: a fake bomb was smuggled into the main Olympic stadium on construction equipment only one day before the official opening.

Photo on the london2012 site describing security measures at the games

 To mitigate bomb fears, Olympic organizers are turning to strength in technology.  2,700 airport-type scanners are being brought in to check over crowds of over 200,000 that are expected to attend every day.  Covert scanners will also be employed to check for threats day and night.  Some of these scanners are expected to be built into pillars around the Olympic complex.²  

So as the stadiums fill in just a few short weeks, we won’t be the only ones watching with baited breath to see who comes out victorious.  We wish not only those performing, but also those protecting, the best of luck.

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D-tect Systems is a supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com.

Radioactive Scrap Metal – a Global Issue

The world is becoming a smaller place. The accelerating pace of technology is pulling people together through communication, travel, business, and industry. Globalization makes it easier to for us to share – a phenomenon with both positive and negative implications. In the great melting pot of world industry, radiation contamination is proving to be an increasingly harmful side-effect. 

As discussed in the previous post, much of the radiation contamination of consumer goods has been linked to contaminated scrap metal. Metal used in the production of goods comes from a variety of sources and almost invariable contains a large amount of recycled materials – a fact that efficiency and environmental controls demand. The problem is that long-lasting radioactive scrap from sources such as medical equipment, food processing, mining equipment, and even decommissioned power plants, is making its way into smelters. The metal turned out from these contaminated batches spreads to other consumer goods – most of which are never checked for radiation.

A scrap metal foundry.  source

Another aspect that further complicates the scrap contamination problems is size – the scrap metal market is worth over $140 billion¹. With so much material in flux, an unreported contamination event can send radioactive material to unknowing manufacturers across the globe.  Although the US has stopped over 120 major radioactive shipments since 2003², there is ample evidence that radioactive scrap is still slipping through the cracks.  For example, a Texas recycling facility accidentally created 500,000 pounds of radioactive steel byproducts after melting metal contaminated with cesium-137 according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission records for 2006.

Scrap yards and recycling operations truly are the primary line of defense against rogue radiation but most of these facilities are under no specific federal government or state regulations and reporting is often voluntary if problems are found.

We’ve seen the results of contamination close at hand – at a recent visit to the nearby landfill, we were told that almost every load of scrap metal that comes in sets off radiation detectors and has to be scanned a second time.

To aid in this crucial detection stage of industry and commercial operations, D-tect Systems has designed several radiation detectors that are sensitive and easy to mount.  The Rad-D is currently being used in hospitals, factories, embassies, and waste disposal locations.  It can easily be mounted to scan conveyor belts and integrate with existing security systems.  The Rad-DX, D-tect’s newest product, is smaller and more visually innocuous.  The Rad-DX also has novel mesh-networking abilities that allow an operator to monitor multiple radiation detectors in real time or look at past event logs.   

The Rad-D is easily mounted to a wall or pole and monitors for radiation in real time.

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D-tect Systems is a supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com.

1: http://atrisk.net/radioactive-scrap-metal-is-new-threat-to-global-supply-chains/

2: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-19/nuclear-risks-at-bed-bath-and-beyond-show-hidden-danger-of-scrap

Solar Radiation - the Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

As spring arrives in the northern hemisphere, people look forward to more sun; longer daylight hours, plant growth, and the chance of getting a tan.  This year, however, the media has been casting the sun in a whole different light.  The affects of powerful solar events during the last few months have caused some to wonder if the sun has a dark side.

NASA

The cycles of the earth are very familiar to us – seasons, calendars, tides.  The sun also has a cyclical nature, but many of these events still stump scientists.  The sun undergoes a solar cycle (or solar magnetic activity cycle) every 11 years.  This cycle is evidenced by the number of sunspots (small dark areas on the surface of the sun) that appear near the equator of the sun.  Sunspots are an indication of solar activity – scientists believe that they are caused by the electromagnetic fields knotting up as they move around the sun.  Since the solar maximum is predicted for next year, solar activity is nearly at its peak.

The solar cycle also causes changes closer to home.  Frequent solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) unleash huge waves of solar radiation during the peak of the cycle.  In fact, just last month a huge solar flare bombarded the earth with charged particles.  This event measured in as the largest solar radiation storm since 2003.  The effects of this storm and others like it have been widespread and occasionally serious – they can cause spacecraft electronics to malfunction, disrupt power grids, and even cause increased corrosion on fuel pipelines.

The good news about solar radiation storms is they cause very little increase in background radiation levels.  The earth’s atmosphere does a good job of blocking solar radiation, even in increased amounts.  Unless you are doing a good deal of flying (at higher altitudes the atmosphere is less effective at blocking radiation) or are visiting regions near the Antarctic, you won’t have any measureable exposure over the normal amount.  If you’d like more information on the threats solar storms can cause, check out this paper by James Marusek.

National Geographic

Even if they can cause damage, solar radiation storms have a silver lining – these events create some of the most striking auroras ever seen.  The Northern Lights (as well as those in the southern hemisphere) are caused charged particles colliding with the upper atmosphere.  For some great National Geographic images of auroras caused by a solar storm, visit this link.

As the sun strengthens this spring, remember that the news you hear about solar events may not all be bad after all.

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D-tect Systems is a supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com. 

Hospital Radiation Risks Uncovered

There is no doubt that the U.S. spends a lot of money on antiterrorism efforts. Estimates vary greatly, but some experts have put the cost of efforts since 9/11 at over $3.3 trillion¹ . The question remains: is it enough? Millions of dollars are spent on foreign operations and border protection to keep threats out of the United States.  But threats arising from negligence inside the U.S. are on the rise according to new research findings disclosed recently in congressional hearings.

An article released last week by the New York Times documents the results of hospital audits where large amounts of radioactive materials are used and stored.  The testimony of security experts included comments that hospital radioactive materials are much more vulnerable to theft or tampering than in other industries. 

Hospital equipment utilizing radiation may cause a threat if not properly secured.  source

Evidence of these weaknesses includes poor security of radioactive supplies (several hospitals had lock combinations for radiation store rooms written right on the door posts) and outdated tracking technology for radioactive materials in use. On top of the physical security underpinnings, a distinct lack of training security personnel exists to guard supplies or deal with threats. 

The real danger in these patterns of loose security is that even small amounts or weak radioactive materials can be very dangerous.  Dirty bombs can be created that disperse tiny amounts of radiation over large areas with dire consequences – contamination (and fear of contamination) could render the location of dispersion vacant for many years. We need to be sure that the United States is not only safe from radioactive materials entering our borders, but also safe from within. 

To read the entire article, visit this link.  For more information on radiation basics and how much radiation constitutes a risk, visit the Radiation Safety page on the D-tect Systems website.

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D-tect Systems is a supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com. 

Fukushima: Long Term Impact

The gripping drama that unfolded during this month last year filled headlines and news hours all across the world.  On March 11th last year, a huge earthquake and tsunami left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in eastern Japan.  Amidst widespread destruction, the tsunami slammed into the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, disabling cooling systems and leading to fuel meltdowns in three of the six nuclear units.  As invariably occurs, after a few months the media coverage moved on, even though countless problems remain unresolved.  

So why hasn’t the radiation washed away or faded into neutrality?  This same query has plagued eastern Europeans for over 25 years as they continue to deal with heightened radiation levels stemming from the Chernobyl disaster. The answer is that radioactive materials released into the environment in both of these catastrophes are extremely finely dispersed and will last for decades.  In fact, just controlling the spread of radiation has become higher priority than cleaning up the mess in many cases.

In a nutshell, radioactive elements are unstable atoms. They seek stability by giving off particles and energy—ionizing radiation—until the radioisotope becomes stable. This process occurs within the nucleus of the radioisotope, and the shedding of these particles and energy is commonly referred to as ‘‘nuclear disintegration.’’  During their disintegration, most radioactive elements morph into yet other radioactive elements on their journey to becoming lighter, stable atoms. Some of the morphed-into elements are much more dangerous than the original radioisotope, and the decay chain can take a very long time¹. This is the reason that radioactive contamination has a variable lifespan, depending on the composition of the radioactive material. For more information on this topic, see this post on radioactive lifespans.

The most common contamination radionuclides in the Japanese crisis are cesium-134 (with a half-life of 2 years) and cesium-137 (with a half-life of 30 years).  Radiological risk assessment expert John Till, president of the U.S.-based Risk Assessment Corporation, says the fallout will probably be gone from the surface of plants within a few years, but attach strongly, through ion exchange, to soil — in particular to the clay soils common throughout Fukushima². From there, the rate and risk level at which cesium will move into plants is still unclear.  And the oceans are a different matter: sediment levels and changing currents make radioactive duration almost impossible to estimate.

Japanese soldiers collect contaminated leaves near the Fukushima nuclear power plant in December. source

 

All of this information adds up to the need for sustained radiation observation.  In particular, on-going dose rate measurements are essential to avoid overexposure to people, animals, and crops.  Since much of the radiation is mobile, weather changes can cause radiation levels to rapidly fluctuate.  This is a common occurrence in Japan, where after a rain storm brings down radioactive particles, the sun and wind can produce radioactive dust clouds that travel in unpredictable ways.  The mobility of these radioactive particles requires constant monitoring to warn people and keep them indoors on increased risk days.

Not only do these detectors need to consistently and accurately make measurements, they also need to efficiently relay information to analysis locations.  A self-healing mesh network is ideal for this kind of seamless measurement and communication.  This kind of network routes around disabled detectors and can incorporate new detectors at any location in the network.  The Rad-DX, D-tect’s newest addition, operates on the D-tect SensorNet – a mesh network with these capabilities.  To learn more about the SensorNet, visit this page. 

Although the cleanup in Japan may take decades, conditions are steadily improving.  With careful and constant radiation monitoring and improvements to safety standards, future risks may be mitigated.

1: http://www.oecd-nea.org/press/press-kits/fukushima-faq.html

2: http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-01-09/fukushima-cleanup-begins-long-term-impacts-are-weighed

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D-tect Systems is a supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com. 

Rad-DX Mesh Network

Everyone knows that a single camera doesn’t make a very effective security system.  Even if placed in an optimal location, a single camera can miss important details – a fact that becomes very apparent on countless action movies.  The same is true with radiation detection.  Many detectors working together can identify threats that might slip by a single detector.  This is the core idea behind the mesh network capabilities of the Rad-DX. 

The D-tect Sensor Net, a wireless mesh network built on the 802.15.4 hardware layer, is responsible of the novel network capabilities of the Rad-DX..  All Rad-DXs used in a system (for example multiple devices used at various entrances of building complex) communicate to each other via the D-tect SensorNet.  Each Rad-DX in range of the system automatically connects to the network, the devices automatically form the most efficient network possible, and all units can be monitored at once.  Because each Rad-DX has integrated WiFi and Ethernet, network data is available to smartphones, iPads, and PCs from anywhere in the world.

The D-tect SensorNet is a self-healing network, meaning that even if a Rad-DX loses its connection to the rest of the network (power outage, communication failure, etc.), the rest of the Rad-DXs will route communications around the inoperative unit and continue to communicate effectively.  Have a large area to cover?  The node-to-node range of the Rad-DX is up to 1 km (line of sight), and systems with multiple nodes can cover great distances.  Integrated GPS in every Rad-DX unit allows you to quickly identify the exact location of incidents.

Each detector is able to communicate with the entire mesh network.  Information is relayed anywhere in the world by units in WiFi range.

The communication abilities of the network are supplemented by the following unique features to ensure security.  First, the both the network and WiFi connections are 128-bit encryption protected.  Monitoring can be conducted in real-time, or past even logs can be reviews.  And floor plans can be integrated into the Rad-DX display to provide an intuitive understanding of where radiation is detected. 

So, remember the lessons of James Bond and don’t try to protect your facility with a single detector.  With a mesh network of Rad-DXs you’ll be able to identify and track threats in ways that were never possible before.  Visit the Rad-DX page for more mesh network explanations and examples.

Meth - the Dark Crystal

Although this blog has mostly focused on radiation detection, we also have quite a bit of expertise in the chemical detection field, and we support law enforcement in their mission to mitigate threats to the public from drug production and chemical accidents.

From its street cost to the health effects it causes, the drug methamphetamine (meth) is expensive – an ounce of pure meth is worth up to 10 times than of an ounce of pure gold. The real problem with meth usage is that the meth’s cost to users in consumption and health problems is dwarfed by meth’s cost to society. This cost comes in the form of increased funding to health care, law enforcement, and cleanup procedures, and was estimated at $23.4 billion dollars in 2010¹.

source

 The most common source of meth is small home labs – the DEA reported 11,239 meth lab seizures last year alone² – which are often set up in motels, trailers, and rental properties. The production of meth involves a number of extremely hazardous chemicals, including:

·  Acetone

·  Ammonium Sulfate

·  Sulfuric Acid

·  Methanol

·  Mineral Spirits

·  Muriatic Acid

·  Organic Ether

·  Toluene

These chemicals are often absorbed into the walls, floor, and ceiling of a meth lab home and cause serious health problems for its residents for years to come. Take this example of a family from Tennessee that was featured in a New York Times article:

The spacious home where the newly wed Rhonda and Jason Holt began their family in 2005 was plagued by mysterious illnesses. The Holts’ three babies were ghostlike and listless, with breathing problems that called for respirators, repeated trips to the emergency room and, for the middle child, Anna, the heaviest dose of steroids a toddler can take. Ms. Holt, a nurse, developed migraines. She and her husband, a factory worker, had kidney ailments. It was not until February, more than five years after they moved in, that the couple discovered the root of their troubles: their house, across the road from a cornfield in this town some 70 miles south of Nashville, was contaminated with high levels of methamphetamine left by the previous occupant, who had been dragged from the attic by the police. The Holts’ next realization was almost as devastating: it was up to them to spend the $30,000 or more that cleanup would require.

Stories like this are in nowise uncommon; there are an estimated 1 to 1.5 million homes that are previously or currently being used to produce meth³. Although most of these homes appear no differently than other residences, many working meth labs do exhibit telltale signs, including:

 

·   Storage of large amounts of household items such as the chemicals listed above, matches, salt, Coleman fuel, plastic containers, coolers, and aluminum foil

·  Accumulation of garbage including red- or yellow-stained rags and coffee filters, latex gloves, empty cans, bottles, and plastic tubing

·  Chemical staining on walls and floors

·  Covering or blacking-out of windows

·  Security measures such as cameras or baby monitors outside of buildings or guard dogs

·  Unusual traffic patterns, such as excessive night traffic or large numbers of visitors with short stays

·  Burn pits, stained soil or dead vegetation indicating dumped chemicals or waste from a meth lab

·  Abnormal chemical odors not normally associated with apartments, houses or buildings. These odors may be similar to sweet, bitter, ammonia or solvent smells

More sophisticated equipment is often used by law enforcement to monitor meth lab activities and find areas that may be contaminated by previous meth lab use. D-tect Systems’ Chem-ID is a valuable asset in this search. The Chem-ID is a portable chemical detector that can identify over 100 different chemicals including many of those used in the production of meth. This device can identify multiple chemicals at once, and can even identify chemicals at a concentration as low as several parts-per-billion. The Chem-ID can gather samples near a suspected meth lab and analyze them on the spot, giving law enforcement valuable information about the status of the site.

The Chem-ID being operated remotely via Bluetooth

To find more information on meth, check out the Drug Enforcement Agency’s website at www.dea.gov or www.methlabhomes.com, an excellent nonprofit website with up-to-date statistics and news reports.

D-tect Systems is supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com.