Space age technology to protect Olympic athletes’ food during the Games Tany staff rey (Cir athletes will be receiving top-notch monitoring of their food before and during the Winter Games here in Vancouver next month, as space age technology is introduced at the Vancouver and Whistler Athletes Villages. Developed by NASA, the Thermor remote temperature sensor system was originally created for use in outer space to ensure that food sent into space with astronauts did not spoil. But after many members of the U.S. Olympic team became ill and unable to compete due to a food-borne illness during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, officials are not taking any chances this time around. All athlete service areas in the Whistler Athlete’s village will be equipped with remote sensor that will send data with a radio signal to a central receiver every 15 minutes. The data will then be sent to a computer spreadsheet that will allow technicians to determine any health standard violations or faulty equipment. With the amount of employees and volunteers that will have access to the a Colledge athletes’ food, it is important to keep record of all refrigeration units and reveal any bad food handling practices. The Thermor will act as a kitchen supervisor— saving people from manually taking and recording refrigerator temperatures and potentially making a mistake. The new system will be able to monitor the temperatures 24 hours a day, allowing for a more accurate reading and preventing the risk for salmonella or E Coli contamination. The remote sensor systems will be installed in at least four Olympic venues with specialized Thermor technicians later this month. The sensor systems will be able to monitor 30 other sensors, and display flashing lights and an audible alarm if temperatures rise to an unsafe level. The sensor systems will also be able to detect when large refrigerator doors are blocked open, faulty thermometers and compressors, or bad seals. All monitors and data will be reviewed to ensure that they comply with the standards set by Vancouver Coastal Health. VCH has also created a food safety plan to be followed by all Olympic vendors and will employ 75 field officers equipped with Wi-Fi electronic tablets during the Games to provide 18-hour-a- day testing of food service facilities. YVR to get full-body scanners By Tanya Colledge, Staff Reporter he next time you travel through [cre International Airport, you may be subjected to a full body scan due to the airport’s acquisition of some new pieces of high- tech security. Transport minister John Baird made the announcement last Tuesday in Ottawa that the first batch of full-body scanners will arrive in airports across the country over the next 10 days, explaining that the botched Christmas Day terrorist attack has forced Canadian airports to tighten their security measures. A total of 44 of these scanners are expected to arrive in Canada over the next year, totalling $11 million in costs. The first batch will arrive as early this week at all major airports across the country: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax. The new technology will primarily be used for passengers destined to the United States. The passengers will have a choice whether to undergo the full-body scan or submit to a physical pat down by a security agent. Passengers on domestic or international flights will continue to be randomly selected for the same kind of secondary screening done now, and any travelers deemed suspicious by airport authorities could be required to pass through the screening devices. The scanners are said to be an extremely efficient and effective way to detect objects or substances that often go unnoticed with our current security systems. By illuminating low power millimetre waves that penetrate through a person’s clothing and hair, the scanners are able to pick up on any objects that may be hidden under a passenger’s clothing. The waves are so small, similar to those of a cell phone, that they do not present any harm or risk to the human body. With 39,000 people and 77,000 pieces of luggage expected to leave Vancouver on March 1, 2010, the day after the closing ceremonies of the Winter Games, the new security tactics are expected to help prevent congestion on what is said will be the busiest day in YVR’s history. However, much controversy still remains over the transport minister’s decision to incorporate the scanners into Canada’s airport security system, but Baird is confident that it will only be beneficial to improving safety and security in our airports, and believes that people will begin to accept the new screening measures. “T think for many Canadians, the idea of going through an electronic machine is far more comfortable and less invasive ... than an invasive physical pat down,” Baird said at a press conference. The office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner has also decl ared that the scanners will not invade any personal privacy, as an officer in a separate area who will not be able to identify the passenger will only view the images produced by the scanners.