New INL technology can detect nuclear contamination in under a minute

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Early in the conflict in Ukraine as Russian shells hit near nuclear power plants in Kherson, nuclear threats and fallout became a harsh reality. But as always, INL teams remain at the forefront of research and development.

A new technology developed at INL has just hit the market, designed to assist first responders in a nuclear disaster or attack. It's called Colorimetric Detection of Actinides or CoDeAc.

"CoDeAc will be a game changer for the military, for first responders. It gives them the ability to carry something that isn't a large, heavy meter," INL Sr. Research Scientist Dr. Cathy Riddle said. "Anyone who's seen any of the militaries in all their gear knows everything is heavy enough. CoDeAc is a very small, lightweight pack and it can determine uranium in low levels and plutonium in under a minute."

It works like a swimming pool test strip or pregnancy test. Spray the solution on a surface, then the chemicals change color if they come in contact with nuclear contamination, purple for Uranium and pink for Plutonium.

"Imagine that you have... an explosion in a large city downtown. You're going to have walking casualties. You're going to not know where that dispersal of radioactivity is," Dr. Riddle said. "First responders are going to go in and they're going to start testing with CoDeAk, and instead of having a ten block square area...you now maybe have an actual only one block area that is contaminated."

Researchers at INL and CoDeAk solutions believe the technology can help first responders avoid potential radiological landmines.

And the technology's applications reach beyond first responders. CoDeAk would help workers avoid disaster in a nuclear energy future.

"If you have a small modular reactor, you have a nuclear power plant. If you had your daily maintenance people taking a look, taking a swipe, using a CoDeAk tool or a wet towel, they can see if they have like a pinhole leak or maybe some of the weld isn't functioning well before they even start the reactor up. They can do these tests and they can fix a problem before it becomes a major issue."

According to Dr. Riddle, CoDeAk is already being prepared for the United States, UK, and Ukraine's military and first responders. The solution is already on the market and in high demand.