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U.S. Developing Better Cargo Screening Technology to Detect Nuclear Weapon Materials
U.S. scientists are working to develop a new method of screening cargo containers to determine if they contain a hidden nuclear weapon, the (Pleasanton, Ca.) Tri-Valley Herald reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 3). The new method, known as active neutron interrogation, fires a stream of neutrons into a cargo container. If weapon-grade materials are present inside, the neutron stream triggers a tiny amount of nuclear fission that briefly releases gamma rays, which can be used to identify the material inside the container. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California are currently conducting computer modeling of the new method to determine its effectiveness. “This is the best game in town, I think,” said Dennis Slaughter, head of a team of scientists from Lawrence Livermore and the University of California at Berkeley investigating the active neutron interrogation method. There are some concerns surrounding the interrogation method, including the time needed to scan each container and the effects of lingering radiation, the Herald reported. “My nightmare — the place I don’t want to be — is to do an interrogation of a container of French wine and then have to tell the importer, ‘What you’ve got is a container of radioactive waste,’” Slaughter said (Ian Hoffman, (Pleasanton, Ca). Tri-Valley Herald, Dec. 3).
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