Pilot SFO cargo screening program to expand to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

X-ray machines are used to scan passenger luggage at San Francisco International airport. Air cargo, however, is presently not adequately tested for explosives.
A new pilot program, funded by Homeland Security dollars, will help reduce the risk
of undetected explosive laden cargo boarding passenger aircraft.
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Brigid Gaffikin, Bay City News Service

November 10, 2006

A $30 million air cargo-screening pilot program that began operation at San Francisco International Airport in June is set to expand to Seattle's Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Air Cargo Explosives Detection Pilot Program was designed to help officials better understand the technological and operational issues associated with detecting explosives or people that might be hidden in cargo. The program uses existing cargo screening technologies, but scientists have also worked on developing new screening devices, including advanced X-ray systems, according to officials.

SFO Duty Manager Denis Richardson said the program at that airport uses powerful machines that have detection capabilities comparable to computed tomography, or CT, scan devices.

"You can pick out virtually anything and say this is a gun, this is a shoe,'' he said.

When the program is implemented in Seattle, tests will focus on assessing the flow of air cargo and the pace at which it must be screened.

Tests will also address detecting carbon dioxide, which may indicate the presence of a person in cargo, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Research is also under way, with DHS funding support, to develop new detection systems such as an X-ray that can scan entire pallets at a time to detect explosives, according to the department.

Organizations involved in the Air Cargo Explosives Detection Pilot Program include the Science and Technology Directorate, the Transportation Security Administration, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ride National Laboratory and the Transportation Security Laboratory.

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