Canadians At The Top Of Explosive Detection

The first Explosives Vapour Detector (EVD) was recently invented by Dr. Lorne Elias of the National Aeronautic Division of Canada's National Research Council in Ottawa, Ontario. Explosives Vapour Detectors are now in use in ten international airports in Canada, making them among the most secure airports in the world. The device is so sensitive that it can detect one part of explosive material in one trillion (10¹²) parts of air.

To use the detector, suitcases are placed in an area in which an air pump collects air samples in small glass cartridges. These are removed and connected to an analyzer unit the size of a suitcase. This analyzer unit is a gas chromatograph. The device takes around two minutes to analyze the sample. If the sample is safe (no volatile explosives detected) the digital display will read "O.K."; if not, the display reads "ALARM". The concentration of the explosive detected also shows up on the display screen. If explosives are detected, dogs are brought in to pinpoint the location of the material. Dr. Elias is now working on reducing the EVD's analysis time to five seconds.