IAEA Launches PAAT Mobile App to Enhance Radiation Alarm Assessments at Airports and Borders.

App and Web Portal

Vienna (Austria) based the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched a mobile application "Personnel Alarm Assessment Tool (PAAT)" to support the frontline officers, like customs or law enforcement personnel, to assess radiation alarms triggered by people at airports, border crossings, and other points of entry, and ease delays. This app is available in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.


      - PAAT is a part of IAEA suite of science and technology tools available to support countries in implementing nuclear security measures.

      - It was developed by the IAEA in collaboration with the Department of Physics, University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ), Sri Lanka.

      - Passing through radiation detection portals at airports is routine, but alarms can be triggered by individuals who have received medical treatments with radiopharmaceuticals. PAAT aims to reduce the time needed to assess these alarms, improving security efficiency.

Main Points:-   (i) PAAT users insert data obtained from a brief interview with the person involved plus a radiation measurement.

      (ii) The app includes a catalogue of 70 radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine, and the measurement plus the interview produces a quantitative assessment of the likely source of the radiation that has been detected.


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