The federal government is planning to install thousands of radiation-detection machines at the nation's seaports and border crossings to scan containers for indications of a “dirty bomb” or other radiation-based weapons, the Customs and Border Protection division of the Department of Homeland Security announced.
This move comes after a pilot program at Hampton Roads terminals. Installed in late 2002, the machines checked containers leaving or entering via truck or train.
Officials say the technology is based on the same method used by steel mills to check radiation in scrap metal. It does not detect non-radioactive-based weapons.