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Explosive Detection Strategies for Security Screening at Airports

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Molecular Technologies for Detection of Chemical and Biological Agents

Abstract

Commercial airline traffic is at an all-time high during a period in history when security threats are real and the access to explosive materials is relatively easy. Governments, in cooperation with travel and security industries have established numerous strategies and technologies to allow flying to remain one of the safest modes of transportation today. This short chapter provides a brief outline of some of the main technological advances that are used to detect explosives and ensure the safety of passengers when flying. This chapter describes technologies that are used to scan for explosives within other objects as well as those that are able to detect explosives or explosive residues on the surface of objects or persons with a focus on those that employ mass spectrometry or mass spectrometry-based tools.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Peter Pallister, Terri D’Souza, Chelsea Black & Jeffrey C. Smith

  2. National Forensic Laboratory Services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R2, Canada

    Nigel Hearns

Authors
  1. Peter Pallister
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  2. Terri D’Souza
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  3. Chelsea Black
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  4. Nigel Hearns
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  5. Jeffrey C. Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffrey C. Smith .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, Special Projects, Chemistry Department, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

    Joseph H. Banoub

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Mass Spectrometry Research Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

    Richard M. Caprioli

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Pallister, P., D’Souza, T., Black, C., Hearns, N., Smith, J.C. (2017). Explosive Detection Strategies for Security Screening at Airports. In: Banoub, J., Caprioli, R. (eds) Molecular Technologies for Detection of Chemical and Biological Agents. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series A: Chemistry and Biology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1113-3_14

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