Irradiation applications for homeland security

In October 2001, first-class mail laced with anthrax was sent to political and media targets resulting in several deaths, illnesses, significant mail-service disruption, and economic loss. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy established a technical task force on mail decontamination that included three key agencies: National Institute of Standards and Technology with responsibility for radiation dosimetry and coordinating and performing experiments at industrial accelerator facilities; the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute with responsibility for radiobiology; and the US Postal Service with responsibility for radiation-processing quality assurance and quality control. An overview of the anthrax attack decontamination events will be presented as well as expectations for growth in this area and the prospects of other homeland security areas where irradiation technology can be applied. Published by Elsevier Ltd.