SIFT-MS: A Rapid and Reliable Method for the Detection of Security Threats
Introduction
Intense pressure for accurate, reliable, rapid and practical security screening technologies has developed
in recent years. This pressure has been focused by events such as attempted shoe bombings, gas and
explosive attacks on public transport systems, the insidious spread of sophisticated drug trafficking gangs,
and the ever-growing volume and velocity of global trade systems.
A common thread in security threats is the almost ubiquitous presence of VOCs. Each security threat, like
all substances with an organic component, gives off a unique VOC profile. These profiles constitute an
Achilles heel for security threats, and provide the key to their rapid and accurate detection.
The ideal technology to exploit this weakness must provide rapid and highly-selective VOC analysis,
thereby minimizing screening delays while maintaining a high-level of confidence. Such a technology must
also minimize false positives and the subsequent heavy-costs associated with unnecessary public alarm
and loss of goodwill.
GC-MS is generally considered the ‘gold standard’ analytical technique for VOCs and semi-VOCs, due to
its high selectivity. However, even in its ‘fast’ forms, it is too slow for security screening applications. Long
queues and delays at security choke points are not well tolerated by the business community or general
public, and, more importantly, even short delays between analysis and detection can cost lives. Another
significant limitation of GC-MS is its reliance on chromatographic columns, with a single column unable to
analyze the diverse range of VOCs associated with security threats.
Due to GC-MS’s inherent weaknesses, research resources in recent years have targeted the development
of IMS systems. This technique is fast, sensitive, and instruments can be hand-portable if necessary.
However, extensive real-world testing indicates that IMS suffers from poor selectivity and an unacceptable
level of false positives.
Therefore, GC-MS and IMS have proved unsatisfactory as air analysis technologies for rapid and accurate
frontline detection of security threats. This shifts expectations to SIFT-MS, with its proven real-time
analysis capabilities, ppt sensitivity and simple operation.
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