A program to detect plutonium and uranium in US ports has stalled because the US has run out of Helium 3. Helium 3 is a light non-radioactive isotope of helium that is formed when tritium decays. Helium 3 is a crucial raw material for the screening machines that were to be utilized in shipping ports for the detection of nuclear weapons.
GateKeeper USA, Inc., a Maryland company developing proprietary detection and identification technologies for the maritime container industry, announced that it is unaffected by the recent shortage of Helium 3:
“The shortage of Helium 3 does not have any effect on GateKeeper USA’s CAMS devices ability to detect radiation, as GateKeeper USA is not reliant on this antiquated method of detection.”
