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U.S. Customs Unveils Radiation Detectors at Ports
Radiation detectors that will scan incoming cargo for nuclear materials and bombs have been installed at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, Associated Press reported today (see GSN, June 20). U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner said yesterday the devices would not slow down the flow of cargo into the United States. “We have to save American lives, but we also have to do it in a way ... that preserves American livelihoods,” Bonner said. More than 40 percent of cargo entering the United States comes through the dual Los Angeles-Long Beach ports; the figure is 80 percent for cargo from Asian manufacturing nations, AP reported. Fourteen monitors have been installed so far, with 90 planned by year’s end. The cargo will be scanned once loaded on trucks. If a container tests positive for radiation, it would be scanned again and possibly inspected by hand-held devices to determine the type of radiation. The second inspection can take up to 10 minutes, according to AP. If the second test is inconclusive, data from the tests would be sent to federal authorities in Virginia to determine if the cargo contains highly enriched uranium or plutonium. The cargo would be isolated during this review as not to cause delays to other shipments. Approximately 540 radiation monitors are being used at ports and borders crossing points throughout the United States. Each costs $250,000 and is federally funded, AP reported (Jeremiah Marquez, Associated Press/Monterey Herald, July 21).
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