minutes, hours or days. The systems are able to handle thousands of pieces of mail per hour. Application The system can be adapted for situations where environmental or clinical pathogens require monitoring. For example, APDS could test for mold or fungal spores in buildings or for the airborne spread of contagious materials in hospitals. It also could identify disease outbreaks in livestock transport centers or feedlots. Automated Mailroom Detection Systems BioAlert System Research International produces and sells the TacBio particle detection system. The system samples the air continuously and monitors for aerosol particle or bio-particle levels It does not identify the type of bio-particle detected but will notify the mailroom attendant if either excess particles or bio-particles are present. This is an early warning system that gives the mailroom supervisor enough time to notice a potential threat and to test for biological agents or airborne threats before mail is delivered to a recipient. Hand Held and Stand Alone Systems ChemPRO 100 Chemical Detection System is a handheld chemical detector for field detection and classification of Chemical Warfare Agents. If mail arrives with an unidentified substance, this hand held detector can be used to immediately identify the chemical. Hardened Mobile Trace Explosive Particle tests for a wide range of explosives and narcotics in seconds. The system will identify explosives in packages or envelopes that are often undetectable by x-ray machines. This handheld detector expands the range of target explosives you can identify in a single sample for faster more comprehensive screening. As noted, this system also detects a wide range of narcotics. The system tests for explosives and narcotics simultaneously in a single sample, for faster, more comprehensive screening. Sources References External links Hindson et al. Autonomous Pathogen Detection System. Report prepared for the 2nd Joint Conference on Point Detection for Chemical and Biological Defense; Williamsburg, VA; March 3, 2004. Biological hazards Analytical chemistry Biosecurity