Radiation on Planes: Does the U.S. look for it?

Producer Dennis Powell and correspondent Lisa Stark blog:

As officials in Great Britain try to unravel the poisoning death of the former Russian spy, they continue to test airplanes for radiation contamination. It raises the question: Does the U.S. routinely look for radiation on planes or foreign travelers here? The answer: Yes and no.

There are no radiation detectors on airplanes — nor are planes routinely checked. And there are no stationary detectors in airports either.

But you will find portable radiation devices hooked to the belts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agents – those men and women you meet as you stagger off your overseas flight. The CBP also has hand-held units to scan luggage, if necessary.

However, government security officials would not say just what kind of radiation the devices are capable of picking up. And, while they stress that they have no information of any imminent threat of this kind, one official assured us, “we have a good degree of confidence that with a layered defense, we can detect radiation.” DHS will be testing a radiation detection system in and around New York City in the next few months.