Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO)

The GRaDERSM Program for Evaluating Radiation Detection Systems for Homeland SecurityOctober 21, 2009Standards and their Private Sector Application

Caroline Purdy, PhD, (DNDO)

Charles Sleeper (DNDO)

Website: http://www.dhs.gov/GRaDEREmail:

GRaDER.Questions@hq.dhs.govGRaDER.Comments@hq.dhs.govGRaDER.Applications@hq.dhs.gov

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DNDO Mission and ObjectivesMission: To substantially reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism against the United States by continually improving capabilities to deter, detect, respond to, and attribute attacks, in coordination with domestic and international partners.

Develop the global nuclear detection and reporting architecture

Develop, acquire, and support the domestic nuclear detection and reporting system

Thoroughly characterize detector system performance before deployment

Establish situational awareness through information sharing and analysis

Establish operation protocols to ensure detection leads to effective response

Conduct a transformational research and development program

Maintain the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center to provide centralized planning and integration of U.S. nuclear forensics programs

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GRaDER Mission and Objectives Mission

– Identify radiation detection products that satisfy standards and Homeland Security mission requirements

– Enable Federal, State, local, tribal and territorial agencies to make more informed radiological/nuclear detector procurement decisions

Objectives– Provide infrastructure for the collection of high integrity test data

National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) lab accreditation process

Identify instrument categories, applicable standards, reporting protocols and compliance levels

– Become a self-sustaining program

Manufacturers pay for testing by accredited labs on their own schedule

Labs submit for and maintain accreditation

– Standardize instrument testing and presentation of test results to assure valid comparisons and easily interpreted results

– Develop Government post-market surveillance program to track products already evaluated under GRaDER program

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GRaDER Process and Phases

Federal, State, local, tribal,

territorialAgency

Federal Acquisition Requirements

and Grant Guidance

* NVLAP Accreditation

Testing Evaluation Procurement

AccreditedTesting Labs*

Rad/Nuc DetectorVendor

$

Results

Design Test

Standards

GRaDER Evaluated Equipment

List Use Established

Compliance Levels

DNDOTechnical Review

and Market Surveillance

Support

Compliance Levels

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GRaDER Compliance Levels Level 0 – Equipment has not been tested; the test results are not

available; or the test results do not meet the minimum subset of the standards as set forth below in each category.

Level 1 – Equipment meets DNDO-selected requirements of the ANSI standards

Level 2 – Equipment fully meets the ANSI standards.

Level 3 – Equipment meets Level 1 or Level 2 and also satisfies the requirements of the applicable published technical capability standards.

Adjust compliance levels as technology evolves

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GRaDER Equipment Categories

Category 1 - Alarming Personal Radiation Detectors (PRDs or “Pagers”) ANSI N42.32

Category 2 - Survey MetersANSI N42.33

Category 3 – Radioactive Isotope Identification Devices (RIID’s)ANSI N42.32

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GRaDER Equipment Categories Category 4 - Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM’s)ANSI N42.35 Category 5 - Spectroscopic Radiation Portal MonitorsANSI N42.38

Category 6 - Mobile and Transportable SystemsANSI N42.43

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Technical Capability Standards Overview DNDO-led multi-agency effort separate from GRaDER Program

Legislatively mandated by SAFE Port Act of 2006– “…DNDO in collaboration with NIST, shall publish technical capability

standards and recommended standard operating procedures for the use of non-intrusive imaging and radiation detection equipment in the United States. Such standards and procedures--

– (1) should take into account relevant standards and procedures utilized by other Federal departments or agencies as well as those developed by international bodies; and

– (2) shall not be designed so as to endorse specific companies or create sovereignty conflicts with participating countries.”

Go beyond and supplements ANSI standards and fill gaps

Focus on detection and identification of special nuclear materials and industrials

Supports Federal mission space

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What GRaDER Program Does Establishes a voluntary “fee-for-testing” program that enables

manufacturers to set their own schedule to independently test detector performance against prescribed standards

Supports any lab that wishes to seek NVLAP accreditation

Accepts test results from NVLAP-accredited or DNDO-accepted labs

Evaluates results and assigns and reports compliance levels

Compiles a list of compliant detectors that is readily available to Federal agencies and to State, local and tribal agencies with permission of manufacturers

Provides test results and compliance levels which are used as criteria for Grants and federal procurements

Conducts post-market surveillance on previously tested and listed products; potential need to resolve issues and resubmit for test

Enables first responders and Law Enforcement agencies to benefit from better equipment and standardized performance results

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What GRaDER Program Does Not Do Recommend or require specific manufacturers or products

Endorse one accredited lab over any other accredited lab

Pay for product testing

Assign conformance levels based on manufacturer’s claims or warranties

Test instruments against actual rad/nuc threats

Guarantee product performance, acceptance, or selection

Satisfy all requirements for SAFETY Act certification

Develop standards

Develop federal procurement and grant program criteria

Guarantee permanent placement on any accepted products list

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Future Activities Add detector categories – Recent and Emerging Standards

– N42.41 - Active Interrogation Systems – N42.44 - Checkpoint Cabinet X-Ray Imaging Security Systems– N42.46 - Imaging Performance of X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Systems for Cargo and

Vehicle Security Screening– N42.48 - Spectroscopic Personal Radiation Detectors (SPRDs) – N42.49 A & B after publication - Personal Electronic Radiation Detectors

Adjust compliance levels as technology evolves

Add technical capability standards to the testing program (Level 3)

Publish and Update GRaDER Evaluated Equipment List

Implement Government post-market surveillance program

Finalize DHS grant language regarding GRaDER Program compliance – FY11 target date– New grant initiatives

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Summary DNDO has initiated an independent, self-sustaining, voluntary program to

evaluate the performance of radiation detectors against accepted standards.

GRaDER will become part of the DHS grant process when sufficient radiation detectors have been tested. Target is FY2011.

More information about the program– http://www.dhs.gov/GRaDER

– Exhibit Booth #915

Questions, Comments, Applications– GRaDER.Questions@hq.dhs.gov

– GRaDER.Comments@hq.dhs.gov

– GRaDER.Applications@hq.dhs.gov

Homeland Security Information Network password protected GRaDERSM site will provide additional information exchange services for stakeholders