[ RadSafe ] WFU professor designs atomic emission detector forDepartment of Homeland Security

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

Do you think we should tell them about hand held gamma spec instruments?
Or the other meters we've been using for the last few decades?

As for contamination after a dirty bomb attack; If I can't detect it
with a micro R, I have a hard time getting excited.   

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of ROY HERREN
Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 7:20 PM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: [ RadSafe ] WFU professor designs atomic emission detector
forDepartment of Homeland Security 

http://www.wfu.edu/news/release/2007.09.11.a.php
   
  WFU professor designs atomic emission detector for Department of
Homeland Security 
  
September 11, 2007
  Brad Jones, a professor of chemistry at Wake Forest University, is
leading a team of researchers at four institutions to develop the first
handheld, field instrument capable of detecting and identifying
radioactive particles at the site of potential contamination.  The
device will enable authorities to quickly test dust, soil, water and
crops in the event of a terrorist attack such as a "dirty" bomb. 
  The three-year project is funded by the National Science Foundation in
conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, which asked
scientists to submit proposals for radioactivity detection devices.
Jones, who specializes in creating spectroscopic instruments, saw the
potential to adapt a design he originally conceived years ago to permit
rapid field testing for lead in blood samples.  
  Jones' "Tungsten Coil Atomic Emission Spectrometer" is constructed
using the metal coil filament from a standard slide projector bulb
powered by a 12-volt battery, such as the type used to start boats or
automobiles.  Environmental samples of suspect particles are dissolved
in liquid, and droplets are placed on the coil.  The samples are dried
at low voltage and the residue vaporized at 3,000 degrees, producing a
flash of light.  Each metal displays a unique color signature, which is
captured by a fiber optic sensor connected to a laptop computer.  Test
results are then charted on a graph showing each sample's wavelength and
intensity, allowing scientists to identify specific elements and amounts
of radioactivity.
  "It's just a natural application," Jones says, noting that the
radioisotopes likely to be stolen from medical or industrial facilities
and used by terrorists are also the most brightly emitting elements in
atomic spectrometry.  "But, the proposed device represents a new way of
thinking in the field of nuclear forensics.  Atomic emission
spectrometry is traditionally a laboratory-based technique using very
large, very expensive instruments.  With immediate on-site results,
residents could be given timely information about a potential threat or
reassured that none existed rather than waiting for samples to be
transported to laboratories for analysis." 
  Portability may also lead to new applications of atomic spectrometry
in the field, Jones adds, such as testing for contamination by
pesticides and other pollutants.
  Instrument manufacturer Teledyne Leeman Labs is interested in the
production and marketing of the device once Jones' research group
perfects their prototype.  Jones has collaborated with the company for
more than a decade.
   Other members of the research team include Clifton P. Calloway Jr.,
associate professor of chemistry at Winthrop University in Rock Hill,
S.C.; Arthur L. Salido, assistant professor of chemistry at Western
Carolina University in Cullowhee; and Joaquim A. Nobrega, professor of
chemistry at the Federal University of Sao Carlos in Brazil.
  Press Contacts:

Eric Frazier
(336) 758-5237
   ');
document.write('frazieef@&#11
9;fu.edu'); document.write(''); // -->
frazieef at wfu.edu 

Kevin Cox
(336) 758-5237
   ');
document.write('coxkp@wfu&#46
;edu'); document.write(''); // -->   coxkp at wfu.edu 


       
---------------------------------
Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! 
Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo!
Games.
_______________________________________________
You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list

Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood
the RadSafe rules. These can be found at:
http://radlab.nl/radsafe/radsaferules.html

For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings
visit: http://radlab.nl/radsafe/