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Release Date: 02/27/04 00:00:00
For Immediate Release
Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
February 27, 2004
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology division today adopted its first radiological and nuclear detectors standards. The standards were developed in partnership with the Department's Office of Domestic Preparedness. These standards are designed to assist federal agencies, state and local officials, and manufacturers in procurement decisions related to radiological and nuclear detection equipment. These guidelines provide performance standards and test methods, as well as minimum characteristics for four classes of radiation detection equipment ranging from hand-held alarming detectors to radiation portal monitors for cargo containers. Officials receiving DHS grants through the Office of Domestic Preparedness will use these standards as technical guidance on performance specifications for detectors.
"Secretary Ridge and I are delighted to release the Department's standards for radiological and nuclear detectors," said Dr. Charles McQueary, Under Secretary, Science and Technology. "We know these guidelines will be helpful to homeland security officials and first responders across the nation as they use technology to protect themselves and our citizens from these potential threats."
Homeland Security developed these standards in partnership with the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Energy's National Laboratories; specifically, Pacific Northwest, Oak Ridge, Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore. Because of the Department's commitment to engaging the private sector in standards development, these guidelines were developed in conjunction with the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a standards development organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI has subsequently approved the four standards documents as American National Standards. Homeland Security and its partners will convene on a regular basis to revise these standards as detection technology evolves.
"The Department, through Customs and Border Protection, has already moved forward with deploying state of the art radiation detection technologies at key installations on our nation's borders. These standards will facilitate our ability to ensure that equipment meets rigorous standards, and supports the quick deployment of the best equipment available", said Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson.
The standards reflect the continuing support of a multi-year program in Homeland Security's Science and Technology division, managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to develop detection equipment for use by federal, state and local employees for the detection of radiological and nuclear material. The four standards documents, which list performance specifications for radiation detectors, are available from IEEE (www.ieee.org) and from ANSI (webstore.ansi.org).
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology division serves as the primary research and development arm of the Department, utilizing our nation's scientific and technological resources to provide federal, state and local officials with the technology and capabilities to protect the homeland.
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This page was last modified on 02/27/04 00:00:00