B2o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 28,1981 Can we LANCASTER Each year 45 million travelers enter the con tinental United States. Along with the usual souvenirs and remem brances, these travelers often bring with them prohibited agricultural products which may carry exotic pests and diseases not normally found in the country. Agricultural Research Service researchers and cooperators are working to solve what is a multibillion dollar problem—the detection of contraband products entering the United States, says Terry Kinney, Jr., acting ' ad ministrator of Agricultural Research Service. P. Gary Snyder, chief staff of- "In 1980, APHIS inspectors found over 502,000 pieces of prohibited fruits, vegetables, and plants in travelers' baggage; more than 14,000 quarantined insect pests vere found and removed from that contraband. In addition, over 229,000 pounds of potentially dangerous meat and animal prdoucts were confiscated." ficer. Port Operations Develop ment Staff of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, explained the research challenge laid out by APHIS. “We need an inexpensive in strument that can quickly prober look at, or sniff baggage as it moves across a conveyor belt, and detect contraband agricultural products,” he said. APHIS tries hard to maintain a tight barrier against introductions of plant and animal diseases, and pests. The agency carries out this responsibility primarily by working with other border clearance agencies, such as the Thomas Schatzki and Richard Young, x-ray scanner. . comparisons electrical engineer, compare stored TV image Schatzki perfect an x-ray system to elec of suitcase items with actual contents. The tronically detect contraband items, suitcase was opened after it emerged from the solve the U.S. Customs Service to examine incoming travelers' baggage tor contraband. Snyder said that with increasing numbers of travelers, especially air passengers, there is an urgent need for a mechanized detection method. Currently, he concedes that a considerable amount of con traband agricultural products carried by travelers entering the U.S. gets through without detec tion. “The problem of imported pests is intensified," Snyder says, “because they don’t have natural enemies in this country." In 1980, APHIS inspectors found over 502,000 pieces of prohibited. fruits, vegetables, and plants in travelers’ baggage; more than 14.000 quarantined insect pests were found and removed from that contraband. In addition, over 229.000 pounds of potentially danagerous meat and animal products were confiscated. “It is difficult for travelers to believe that just, one insect infested orange, for example, can cause a widespread infestation leading tp millions of dollars in lost agricultural crops, not to mention the additional millions of dollars spent for eradication measures,” Snyder said. Over a year ago, the problem of contraband foods? James Purcell (left) and Paul Magidman infrared spectrometer separates compounds discuss infrared spectra used to fingerprint in the odors and identifies them by distinctive odors. A combination gas chromatograph arid peaks and valleys on a printout. Mediterranean fruit fly, whic.fi had been eradicated in the U.S. in 1966, was discovered in California— perhaps arriving in a piece of fruit carried by an unsuspecting traveler. About $2B million has already been spent by State and Federal governments to eradicate 4. * /Tr *- the fruit flies. Additional millions and an aerial pesticide application program will be necessary before eradication can be achieved. And if medflies spread to all of Califor nia’s prime agricultural areas, the loss- of crops plus eradication measures could total $450 to $5OO million per year—not to mention the costs of a serious infestation in Florida and other fruit- and vegetable-producing states. In addition to crops, the American livestock industry could suffer tremendous losses from the introduction df foreign animal diseases. For example. Rift Valley Fever is an African viral disease affecting .cattle, sheep, and humans. It recently increased in virulence and is now rapidly spreading to countries in the Mediterranean area. The disease is a serious threat because during the incubation stage, humans can unknowingly carry it to any part of the world where the disease can be introduced into the livestock population. Livestock losses can be James Cavanaugh explains how insects, spores, and larvae can be prevented from entering the United States by elec tronic detection of host items. exceptionally high as recently experienced in Egypt where a 25- percent loss of the livestock population was attributed to Rift Valley Fever. Pests like the khapra beetle, the Asiatic rice borer, the apple leaf roller, flag smut of wheat, and the giant African snail could all wreak havoc on U.S. agricultural productivity. Reginald Handwerk, ARS national research program leader, Processed Fruits and Vegetables, said research efforts are focused on three approaches to the contraband detection problem. One approach involves detecting food odors in luggage, another concentrates on identifying con traband through the use of x-r&ys, and the third utilizes sophisticated eletromagnetic devices. Any detection method must be able to deal with the wide range of objects and materials transported m luggage and the many designs (Turn to Page B 28)
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