NY and NJ will have operational radiation detectors by the end of the year

NJ.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "P.A. puts radiation detectors to work
But devices have limitations, official tells House
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
BY J. SCOTT ORR
STAR-LEDGER WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is on schedule to have all 30 of its radiation detection machines operational by the end of the year, a top authority official told Congress yesterday.

In testimony before a pair of House subcommittees, Bethann Rooney, manager of port security, said the bistate agency has 22 of the machines, called radiation portal monitors or RPMs, in place and that eight more are expected.

Rooney cautioned, however, that the RPMs should not be counted on as a primary tool in preventing radiological or nuclear material from entering the country for use by terrorists.

'We ... believe they serve an important function as the absolute last layer of the defense ... strategy,' Rooney said. 'The potential for terrorist activity stretches from where cargo is stuffed into a container overseas to any point along the cargo's route. ... Efforts must be taken to verify the contents of containers before they are even loaded on a ship destined for a U.S. port.'

Rooney acknowledged problems with the machines, particularly the high level of false alarms, which average approximately 150 per day. Most of the false alarms, she said, are caused by items with naturally occurring radiation, including bananas, kitty litter, fire detectors and ceramics.

'In the vast majority of cases ... (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) is able to resolve the alarm in approximately 10 minutes or less and release the truck without causing any undue delays,' Rooney said.

The gathering of intelligence, Rooney said, is perhaps the most important component of the defense strategy because it enables authorities to move on suspect cargo at sea before it gets to an American port.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.), the ranking"