Nuclear security

Pasadena company snags contract to expand nuclear monitoring

It has become increasingly difficult to stop the smuggling of nuclear material around the world. In a strange way, that may be good news for a Pasadena company, which recently snagged a $400 million federal contract to install its nuclear monitoring equipment in this country and around the world.

At U.S. border crossings, in every big U.S. seaport and at border sites around the globe, there’s a security device that scans for nuclear material. That’s the work of Tetra Tech in Pasadena.

The scanners are designed to catch people smuggling uranium and other radioactive substances. And that threat is real, said Christine Bent. She’s deputy director at NSDD, the Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence agency, which is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

“Radiological materials are pretty ubiquitous around the world because they’re used for a lot of good purposes,” Bent said, “like medical research.”