Draper, Utah, February
3, 2011 – D-tect Systems, a
leader provider of radiological and chemical security products, is a
long time participant in the war against terrorism. The silent
technology battles of security vs. terrorists have remained, for the
most part, out of sight and out of mind for most Americans. A shift,
however, is underway that may bring this battle much closer.
An article entitled
“WikiLeaks: al-Qaeda ‘is planning a dirty bomb’”1 was
released yesterday by The Telegraph news organization. According
to the article, leaked diplomatic documents published by WikiLeaks
portray much greater advances in terrorist technologies than previously
thought, especially in the field of radiological warfare, such as ‘dirty
bombs.’ These bombs, though lacking the raw power of nuclear weapons,
have the potential to produce devastating effects because they disperse
radiation-emitting substances over a large area. Exposure to various
types of radiation has serious medical implications: burns, loss of
sight, long-term diseases such as cancer, and even death. The materials
for making these bombs are much easier to gather than nuclear
weapons-grade material: the article cites examples of increased
radioactive material trafficking in various parts of the world.
Although the new
information published by WikiLeaks is shocking, the US government has
known about the threat of ‘dirty bombs’ for years. In fact, the US
Department of Health included this in a 2007 handbook for response for
radiation emergencies: “government authorities and other experts believe
a real probability exists that a radiological or nuclear device could
be used in a terrorism attack in the future.” The fact is that response
to these concerns has been slow. Precious few
gamma or neutron radiation systems are in place in the United States.
Less than 25% of American hospitals, a logical target of terrorist
organizations, have the equipment and training capabilities to deal with
the event of a dirty bomb.
Morgan Taylor,
president of D-tect Systems, discusses the magnitude of newly-discovered
threats. “Preparation is key. To effectively combat threats such as
these, the technology to find and contain radiation has to already be in
place. It’s too late once it happens.”
D-tect Systems has
long known of the threats facing the American people and provides a line
of radiation and chemical detectors, used globally as well as by the
Department of Homeland Security, to counter this danger. D-tect Systems
products include the MiniRad-D, a small, pager sized radiation detector
containing a sensitive radiation detection system, has been used by
police and military forces for years, and the handheld Rad-ID device
which can not only detect radiation, but can also identify 110 different
radioactive istopes, giving emergency response personnel the lifesaving
edge to control and contain dangerous materials.
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