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Dozens of law enforcement and emergency boats in one of the nation’s largest and most congested waterways will be outfitted this fall with radiation detectors aimed at preventing terrorists from smuggling deadly weapons into the country.

The first-of-its kind test in Washington’s Puget Sound will try to find out whether radioactive or nuclear bomb-making components could be picked up if they’re hidden on board a small boat cruising into a busy harbor.

“We’ll all suffer the consequences if we’re not able to detect something,” says Coast Guard Capt. Chip Strangfeld, who is working on the project with the Homeland Security Department’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO).

DNDO chief Vayl Oxford says he puts the nation’s coasts “at the top of the list” of security challenges. “It’s one of the most difficult threats we have,” he says.

Puget Sound was chosen for the tests because it is so big and so busy, both with small recreational boats and cargo ships.

The area is home to two commercial ports and the nation’s largest ferry system. It’s the nation’s top region for non-commercial pleasure boats from overseas, and 750,000 cruise ship passengers and 15 billion gallons of oil move through its waters each year, according to Seattle Fire Department Assistant Chief A.D. Vickery.

“There’s a huge amount of movement of people, ships and cargo,” he says. “We’ve got some big, big challenges here, and the federal government has recognized there are some porous areas we need to address.”

The detector testing comes in response to security concerns about the detonation of a weapon of mass destruction on U.S. soil.

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