Bioweapons Detection

The threat of bioterrorism, seen so vividly in the USA recently, has prompted an urgency to develop equipment capable of detecting harmful biological agents including anthrax. A team of researchers at Eastern Washington State University (Cheney, WA, USA) has developed a detector that uses photoacoustics to monitor air-borne particles (Chemweb.com, 1 November). This device collects air samples using cyclone technology and concentrates particle in the size range 1-10 microns. A pulsed laserbeam then irradiates the samples and produces an intense acoustic signal if any biological particles are present; each signal is unique to a particular species. Soot and dust particles produce only very low signals. The researchers envisage that sensors could be permanently mounted in `high-risk' areas such as mail sorting offices, and an audible signal triggered if any harmful biological agents are detected.

Source : AIBA, (TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, JANUARY 2002, Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 7)