Ion Track Instruments Unveils FAA Approved Next Generation Detection Technology (27 November 2001)
In 1996 the United State Federal Aviation Administration deemed Ion Track Instruments ITEMISER as an effective means for explosives detection and has since ordered hundreds of detectors to protect American airports from terrorist attacks. Other agencies such as HARC (Houston Advance Research Center), CTAC (Counter-Drug Technology Assessment Center), PSDB (Police Scientific Development Branch) and Le Crel have approved ITI detectors for narcotics detection paving the way for customs, prisons and many other law enforcement agencies to employ their everyday use
iontrack.com
iontrack.com
Ion Track Instruments Unveils FAA Approved Next Generation Detection Technology
iontrack.com
14 November 2001
EntryScan3 Screening for Explosives at McGhee Tyson Airport
10 June 2001
FAA Orders More ITEMISERS for US Airport Security
Lightweight - 7 lbs., handheld
Detects all common explosives and narcotics including heroin, cocaine, RDX, PETN, dynamite and Semtex
Operates on 110/220V AC, a 90-minute fast recharge battery, or a six-hour battery pack
Switch to detect either explosives or narcotics
The most sensitive portable vapor detection system available
Government tested and verified
Plugs into a cigarette lighter
Self diagnostics
Can be connected to the ITEMISER® Contraband Detector for analysis (with access to the touch screen display and on-board printer)
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The VaporTracer2 Portable Contraband Detector is the latest technology available for detecting explosives and narcotics. Based on Ion Track Instruments’ patented Ion Trap Mobility Spectrometer (ITMS®), the VaporTracer2 is designed to be used in demanding security environments where fast and accurate analysis is essential. Significant improvements to the VaporTracer have enhanced the detector's capabilities and raised the performance standard for handheld trace detectors. Key to the VaporTracer2's evolution is a pre-concentrator nozzle that fits on the end of the detector, which not only further improves vapor detection, but also allows for superb trace particle detection.
The VaporTracer2 was originally developed and tested with support from the U.S. Department of Defense Counter-Drug Technology Development program, acting on behalf of a consortium of U.S. government agencies including U.S. Customs Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The VaporTracer2 Portable Contraband Detector is easy to use with a five button keypad and liquid crystal display (LCD). The instrument requires minimal operator training and is internally calibrated by the touch of a single button. The system works by drawing a sample of the vapor into the detector where it is heated, ionized and then identified by its unique plasmagram.
You can't see it. You can't smell it. But it's your job to find it and keep it from doing harm.
Whether the hidden contraband you're after is narcotics or explosives, evidence that it may be present in that suitcase or the trunk of that automobile can be of significant benefit to your safety and that of the general public. How do you find something hidden you can't see or smell? The answer is trace detection.
When narcotics or explosives contraband are handled, these substances leave microscopic particles behind on the hands and clothes. The surfaces subsequently touched by someone with traces of contraband on them are highly susceptible to being contaminated with these particles. Steering wheels, door handles, suitcase latches, even pocket change, may all harbor microscopic traces of these substances, which if detected, could indicate the presence of contraband.
Narcotics and explosives by their nature also give off minute amounts of vapor that contain traces of the substances themselves. When they are packaged for handling or transportation, these vapors may be trapped in the packaging, and can build up to detectable levels. Contraband such as methamphetamine or TNT hidden in the trunk of a car can be giving off enough vapor containing the contraband substance to be detected from the outside of the car, without opening the trunk!
Trace detection technology makes use of the minute amounts of vapors given off and the microscopic particles left behind when narcotics and explosives contraband are packaged and handled.
While the analyzer technology itself is quite sophisticated, it is extremely simple to use. Most importantly, it is fast, accurate and sensitive. Just how sensitive? Billionths of a gram - or the concentration equivalent of dissolving a single packet of sugar in 100 Olympic-size swimming pools!
Collecting samples for analysis couldn't be simpler. In the case of trace particle detection, the surfaces of a vehicle or luggage that are suspected of being tainted with contraband are wiped down with a paper disk known as a sample trap. The trap is then inserted into the desktop analyzer. Once analyzed, the contraband substance is identified, along with its relative alarm strength. Visual and audible indications are provided, and the analysis can be stored and printed for use as court-accepted evidence.
For the case of vapor detection, the portable, handheld analyzer "sniffs" the air around the openings of closed compartments, containers or packages suspected of concealing contraband. The analyzer then identifies the contraband substance and its relative alarm strength. Again, as with the particle analyzer, both visual and audible indications are provided, and the analysis can be stored and later printed for use as court-accepted evidence. |
