New technologies developed in Jerusalem and Hevron are keeping Israel and the world safe from conventional and biological terror attacks.
Hebrew University scientists in Jerusalem have found a simple way to detect whether someone has handled explosives recently.
A forensic chemist from the university developed a chemical spray that is able to detect recent contact with urea nitrate - the easily attainable chemical used in most bombs produced in the Palestinian Authority.
The chemical test reacts with even the smallest amounts of urea nitrate, turning the surface bright red. A swab sample can be taken from surfaces touched by a suspect or the hands of the person in question.
Professor Joseph Almog, the spray’s developer, told Israel21c that the method could be “cheaply and easily incorporated into security screenings by law enforcement agencies, the military, and at certain air and sea check-points.”
Israel’s Water Company Installs Anthrax Detector
Israel’s Mekorot water company has adopted a system developed by the Israeli company Biological Alarm Systems (BAS) which rapidly detects hazardous biological substances in the water supply.
The system detects such toxins as anthrax and botulism in both water and air and can be deployed in public places like mass-transit systems, shopping malls and sports stadiums.
The system automatically samples air or water, giving real-time results. “By automatically sampling water quality in real time, the system renders the current lab-based technology obsolete,” Israel21c reports.
BAS is a product of the start-up incubator known as the Mofet B'Yehuda Innovation Accelerator, based in Kiryat Arba (Hevron), a Jewish town located 15 miles south of Jerusalem.
Mofet B’Yehuda works to encourage the development of "clean-tech" companies in Israel by providing funding, infrastructure and business support.