ANTI-TERRORISM
It's a dog-eat-dog world, especially when it comes to airport security. In the nationwide scramble to better protect air travelers, a key job - checking passengers and bags for explosives - is being carried out by two very different sniffers. One is FAA-trained dogs; the other is the latest in ion mobility spectrometry, which can detect minute traces of explosives. The dogs tend to be sporting breeds like retrievers, German shepherds, and Belgian Malinois. Most IMS scanners are made by Barringer Technologies of Warren, New Jersey,or Ion Track Instruments of Wilmington, Massachusetts. Here's how a golden retriever and an Ion Track Itemiser match up.
Golden Retriever
Size: 23 by 25 by 12 inches; 70 pounds.
In service: 190 dogs and their handlers at 40 US airports.
On order: 90 dogs at 25 airports by end of 2002.
Cost per unit: $10,000.
Method: Draws sample into nasal cavity, where air molecules come into contact with a network of membranes. The air stimulates smell receptor cells that connect to the large olfactory bulb in the dog's brain.
Energy source: Standard kibble; rubber toy called Kong.
Performance: Identifies explosives almost instantly from a distance, even when masked by other substances. Able to smell explosive traces as fine as one part per billion. Can be trained to sniff out 12 types of explosives.
Pros: Versatile, sensitive, mobile, and follows its nose.
Cons: Needs regular breaks; has accidents on Gucci luggage.
Itemiser
Size: 18 by 21 by 14 inches; 43 pounds.
In service: 882 IMS units at 179 US airports.
On order: 425 IMS units for duty by end of 2002.
Cost per unit: $38,000.
Method: Analyzes a trace swiped from baggage onto a cotton or lint sample or sucked into its specimen detector. A heater vaporizes the sample, ionizing it. Explosives are identified by the size and shape of telltale ions.
Energy source: Standard AC power.
Performance: Needs 5 to 7 seconds to analyze a sample; has an error rate of less than 1 percent. Can run 24/7 and detect as little as 1 nanogram (1 billionth of a gram) of explosives, including PETN, TNT, C4, RDX, Semtex, and EGDN.
Pros: Any airport security guard can operate it.
Cons: Expensive; operated by airport security guards.
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