The IAEA is launching a new app to help assess the radiation threat after an alert

The IAEA has launched a new program to help frontline officers assess radiation alarms triggered by people at airports, border crossings and other checkpoints and reduce delays.

Passing through stationary radiation detection portals at airports has become part of the traveler’s routine, as well as a standard security measure. But what happens if the alarm goes off? The priority is to answer the question of why the person acted in order to quickly understand whether there is a threat to nuclear safety or not.

A new mobile app, the Personnel Alarm Assessment Tool (PAAT), helps frontline officers, such as customs or law enforcement officers, make these decisions.

“PAAT is now added to the IAEA’s suite of scientific and technical tools available to support countries in implementing nuclear security measures,” said Olena Buglova, Director of the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Division. “PAAT is another example of the different ways the IAEA is working to provide countries with the technology and training they need to improve their nuclear security measures.”

When a radiation alarm is triggered, customs officers or other specialized personnel follow an established procedure to assess the nature of the alarm and determine whether or not it is a real security threat. In most cases, the alarms are “innocent” and are set off by people who have recently undergone a treatment or diagnostic procedure that involved the use of radiopharmaceuticals.

PAAT users enter data obtained from a brief interview with the person involved, as well as radiation measurements. PAAT contains a catalog of 70 radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine, and measurements and interviews provide a quantitative estimate of the likely source of radiation that has been detected. The application tool emits a red, yellow or green signal and provides critical and immediate support to front-line officers in assessing a radiation source.

Use of the PAAT is expected to minimize the time required for this anxiety assessment. “PAAT allows for a quick and accurate assessment to reduce unnecessary delay for a person undergoing a medical procedure and minimize the impact of innocent alarms on normal operations in crowded places such as airports,” Buglova added.

PAAT is part of the overall IAEA toolkit provided to countries to improve radiation detection operations in various scenarios. “The idea behind PAAT is similar to the Tool for Radiation Alerting and Commodity Assessment (TRACE) mobile application launched by the IAEA in 2017. The difference is that PAAT deals with human-caused alarms, while TRACE is used in cases of alarms caused by vehicles carrying goods passing through radiation detection portals,” said Itimad Sufi, head of the IAEA’s Nuclear Material Safety Outside regulatory control. “Both mobile apps are easy to use and do not collect personal data.”

PAAT can also be used to support nuclear security measures during large public events where radiation detection may also lead to an alarm requiring further evaluation.

PAAT is available for download at Apple and Android devices in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.