Explosive detection strategies for security screening at airports

Abstract

Commercial airline traffic is at an all-time high during a period in history when security threats are real and the access to explosive materials is relatively easy. Governments, in cooperation with travel and security industries have established numerous strategies and technologies to allow flying to remain one of the safest modes of transportation today. This short chapter provides a brief outline of some of the main technological advances that are used to detect explosives and ensure the safety of passengers when flying. This chapter describes technologies that are used to scan for explosives within other objects as well as those that are able to detect explosives or explosive residues on the surface of objects or persons with a focus on those that employ mass spectrometry or mass spectrometry-based tools.