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You’ve Got Snail Mail

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DQI Bureau
New Update

The Titan Corporation has announced that the US Postal

Service has selected Titan to provide electron beam systems and services to

sanitize mail to eliminate the threat of anthrax contamination. The U. S. Postal

Service has also contracted to use a Titan facility to sanitize mail, using

electron beam technology. For the past eight years, Titan has used SureBeam

electron beam technology to sterilize medical products, and for the last 18

months, to eliminate dangerous bacteria in food.

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Headquartered in San Diego, California, SureBeam is a leading

provider of electron beam food safety systems and services for the food

industry. The SureBeam® patented system is based on proven electron beam and

x-ray technology that destroys harmful food borne bacteria much like thermal

pasteurization does to milk. This technology can also eliminate the need for

toxic chemical fumigants used in pest control that may be harmful to the earth’s

ozone layer. SureBeam Corporation was launched by The Titan Corporation in

March, 2001. The SureBeam® consumer and environmentally friendly process uses

commercial electricity to generate a beam of accelerated electrons or convert

electrons to X-rays, which are scanned over a product to achieve pasteurization

or disinfestations in seconds. The machine is the Sure Beam System, which uses

commercial electricity to send high-energy electrons through meat for

pasteurization and medical supplies for sterilization. Increase the electrons

and it kills anthrax.The patented SureBeam process uses ordinary electricity to

generate electrons, which are accelerated to nearly the speed of light by means

of a linear accelerator. The resulting energies, ranging normally from 5 to 10

million electron volts (MeV) and coupled with 1 to 50 kW of power, have

sufficient energy to penetrate products in their final package or case

configuration.

X-ray

technology directs an electron beam to a metal target. Incidentally,

the same process is used to get bacteria out of food

SureBeam Corporation also utilizes X-ray technology to

achieve the same microbial reduction. This process directs the same

electronically generated electron beam to a metal target that converts the beam

to X-rays. This process is ideal for food case configurations up to several feet

in depth. The origins of this technology can be traced back to 1895, when a

paper published by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen described the production of X-rays.

Within a year, an article appeared that reported on the ability of X-rays to

kill bacteria. In 1948, results of experiments on 22 species of bacteria with

electrons and X-rays prompted commercial interest. This research lead to the

development of the first commercial electron beam and X-ray systems.

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During the 1970s, several companies, including Varian

Associates, Phillips, and Siemens, took a new look at the application of X-ray

technology for radiographic and oncology therapy equipment. Their involvement in

the improvement of durability and reliability of accelerated electron technology

raised performance parameters to a new level.

The SureBeam System’s flexible systems provide a specific

solution for each producer’s needs. Both systems use ordinary electricity to

power the beam that pasteurizes or disinfests food. SureBeam’s patented

electron beam system has been built from the ground up using proprietary

technology to combine an electron accelerator, product handling conveyor system

and a validation and documentation system. The patented SureTrack® information

validation and documentation system guides both the operator and material

loaders through the overall process checking for the completion of each task and

verifying the integrity of the process. Bar-code scanners in conjunction with

the SureTrack system provide verification of the dosimetric level for each item.

SureTrack continuously archives all the processing information required to

substantiate the successful completion of the SureBeam process. Unlike other

technologies, the process is complete in a matter of seconds. SureBeam is a

process that is achieved by a machine. The SureBeam system uses only ordinary

electricity. It’s that simple. The system is plugged into the wall and can be

turned on and off – just like your microwave or T.V. set. There is virtually

no impact on the environment.

BusinessWire

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