Radiation Detection

The article is mainly about nuclear weapon detectors being falsely set off at border crossings into the country. The U.S. government is trying to firmly avoid terrorists bringing nuclear weapons into the country through one of its border entries. To do so they’re using radiation-detecting scanners at border crossings meant to detect any nuclear weapons. However the scanners are also detecting radioactive waves from other sources. For example, Francisco Villalpando was stopped by border patrol when the scanners picked up radioactivity from his truck. It was later determined that the radioactivity was coming from him, not his truck, because he had just received medical radiation 10 days prior. A variety of other things have also set off these scanners, and border patrol agents are finding it quite tasking to deal with.
Laura Holgate, a former Defense Department and Energy Department nuclear weapons expert, has little faith in the effectiveness of this plan. She feels if border patrol isn’t stopping people and drugs coming across the border, they have little chance stopping nuclear weapons too.
I think the idea of tightening up security at any possible entrance for nuclear weapons is worthwhile, but at the same time I’m skeptical about how effective these scanners will be.


Works Cited:

Vartabedian, Ralph. “Radiation detection an arduous task at ports.” Los Angeles Times 25 Nov. 2007. Science. 26 Nov. 2007 http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-na-detectors25nov25,1,4533702.story?coll=la-news-science&ctrack=1&cset=true.