Chemical and Biological Detection

Technologies

A technician collects a sample from a laptop computer that will be analyzed by the Sabre
2000 trace detection instrument, which can detect traces of explosives, drugs, or chemical
weapons.
AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS
.

█ BRIAN HOYLE

The ability to detect the components of chemical and biological weapons is an important
part of a national security strategy. For example, the inability to rapidly detect letters for
the presence of anthrax spores provided a route for the targeting of infectious
microorganisms in the United States in 2001. The portability of chemical and biological
weapons has made them attractive to individuals or groups with political, religious, or
other grievances. This has spurred development of more sophisticated, accurate and rapid
detection technologies.

The conventional x-ray technology long used in airports has been refined. Most of the x-
ray beam is reflected back immediately upon encountering an object. Some of the
radiation, however, passes through the object. By analyzing the beams that actually
penetrate through an object, information on the object's composition is provided. Another
version sends two different x rays of different wavelengths through an object. The
different beams can distinguish between organic objects, such as food and paper, and
inorganic objects.
A chemical detection technology known as gas chromatography has been sped into
routine use in airports since the U.S. terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The
different chemicals present on a cloth that is swiped over an object can be separated
based on their different preference for the gas mixture that is pumped through the sample
chamber. A target chemical (i.e., an explosive) is detected within seconds.

Chemical detection technologies have also been adapted for use "in the field", such as by
United Nations inspectors deployed in Iraq beginning in November 2002, to the presence
of missiles that were supposedly destroyed by the Iraqi government in the mid-1990s.

Sound can be used to detect chemicals. For example, the acoustic wave sensor uses a
quartz surface to convert incoming sound waves into electrical signals. Over a dozen
different chemicals can be detected within seconds, even from biological sources. In
another sound-based technique called acoustic resonance, the pattern of vibrations when
sound waves are sent inside an object like a missile can reveal whether the missile is
filled with a solid or a liquid, and even the type of chemical present.

Light is another means of chemical detection. The use of light is called spectroscopy.
Mass spectroscopy determines the mass of proteins, which is important in determining
the identity of the chemical or biological agent. Matrix-Assisted Laser
Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectroscopy (MALDI-MS) can identify proteins that are
unique to Bacillus anthracis (the cause of anthrax) and Yersinia pestis (the cause of
plague). Raman spectroscopy measures the change in the wavelength of a light beam by
the sample molecules. Optical spectroscopy measures the absorption of light by the
chemical groups and the subsequent emission of light by the same groups as the
identification method.

The ability to detect genetic sequences that are unique to certain bacteria (gene probing)
has been exploited to develop genetically based microbial detection methods. The best
example of gene probing is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which can
enzymatically detect a target stretch of genetic material and rapidly amplify that region to
detectable levels. Handheld PCR detectors (i.e., Handheld Advanced Nucleic Acid
Analyzer, or HANAA) were used in the 2002–2003 inspections of Iraqi facilities by
United Nations officials.

Biological detection devices can monitor the surrounding air at regular intervals. Air is
automatically drawn into the device and analyzed for target genetic sequences using the
PCR technology. The results can be electronically relayed to a central base for analysis.

Another biological technology utilizes antibodies that are produced in response to the
presence of a specific microorganism. Tests are available that detect Bacillus anthracis,
Clostridium botulinum, viruses (e.g., smallpox), and chemicals (e.g., ricin) in minutes.

Some older biological detection technologies still prove reliable. Growth of

microorganisms on artificial food sources (media) produces populations called colonies.
Medium can be selected that produces colonies that have a distinctive appearance and
color. Gel electrophoresis separates differently sized pieces of genetic material or other
microbial components (e.g., protein) into bands. The banding pattern can be used to
identify the microorganism. Finally, chromatography separates compounds from one
another based on their differing speed of movement through a gas or a liquid mixture.

█ FURTHER READING:
BOOKS:

Cilluffo, Frank J., Sharon L. Cardash, and Gordon Nathaniel Lederman. Combating
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Technologies: A Comprehensive
Strategy: A Report of the Csis Homeland Defense Project. Washington, D.C.: Center for
Strategic and International Studies, 2001.

Fritz, Sandy, and Jack Brown. Understanding Germ Warfare (Science Made Accessible).
New York: Warner Books, 2002.

Lederberg, Joshua, and William S. Cohen. Biological Weapons: Limiting the Threat
(BCSIA Studies in International Security). Boston: MIT Press, 1999.

United States Department of Defense. 21st Century Bioterrorism and Germ Weapons:
U.S. Army Field Manual for the Treatment of Biological Warfare Agent Casualties
(Anthrax, Smallpox, Plague, Viral Fevers, Toxins, Delivery Methods, Detection,
Symptoms, Treatment, Equipment). Washington, D.C.: Progressive Management, 2001.