Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Global Security Newswire reports that Congress is pressing for outside scientific analysis of radiation detectors slated for use at the nation’s ports, posted here.

Per NTI’s report, "The new detectors, called Advanced Spectroscopic Portal monitors (or ASPs), are designed to not only detect radiation but to identify the nature of its source, eliminating the need for time-consuming secondary inspections to determine whether the material is innocuous or dangerous.  A number of mundane items regularly shipped into the United States, including ceramic tiles and bananas, contain radioactive isotopes that can set off the radiation detectors."

Concerns over the efficacy of this cutting edge technology prompted inclusion of a requirement for outside analysis in the 2008 Appropriations Bill.