Using Lasers to Steam-Clean Buildings After a Radioactive or Chemical Attack
The initial fallout from a chemical or radiological attack would be devastating enough, but the cleanup of such an incident would be equally hazardous. While HAZMAT teams and other authorities have methods of scrubbing radiological and chemical waste, the porous nature of building materials like concrete gives radionuclides and dangerous chemical agents plenty of places to hide from conventional cleanup methods. So a team of chemists at Idaho National Laboratory is experimenting with a battery of laser treatments that can neutralize threats no matter how deep within our infrastructure they burrow. In the case of a dirty bomb attack, the immediate response would be to evacuate the area and "chelate" any affected surfaces - that's the scrubbing you've seen HAZMAT types performing on contaminated surfaces. But chelation can only render inert what it can touch; radioactive particles that find their way into cracks and pores in concrete or asphalt can elude...