23 September 2009

NIST issues standard for detecting trace explosives

Security personnel need to be able to find explosive materials and persons who have been in contact with them.

To aid such searches, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has developed a new certified reference material, Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2905, Trace Particulate Explosives.

Compatible with field and laboratory assay methods, the SRM will be helpful in calibrating, testing, and developing standard best operating procedures for trace-explosives detectors.

Most air travelers have probably had some experience with prototype walkthrough portal or tabletop-type trace explosive detectors. Customs inspectors use the machines to check international cargo shipments, and firefighters and police officers use them to evaluate suspicious packages.

Like other sensitive instruments, these machines need well-defined calibration standards to ensure they are working properly.

NIST created this SRM to provide manufacturers and operators with high quality, independently generated and validated reference test materials to enable better designs and reduce the number of false positives and negatives.

For related information, go to www.isa.org/sensors.