The hottest item on Israel’s export list to Europe is a personal radiation detector the size of a package of cigarettes, according to a spokesperson for its manufacturer, the Amcor Electric Equipment Co.
The gamma radiation detection device developed by Amcor can be worn on the belt line like a beeper. It emits a beeping sound and flashing light when radiation five times the normal dosage is present. The price is $140.
Evy Meirovitch, of Amcor, said his company sold 2,000 of the detectors in Europe during the six months before the accident at the Soviet nuclear power station at Chernobyl near Kiev. Since the disaster 12 days ago, the Amcor factory has gone from one shift to three shifts a day to handle orders for 10,000 more of the device. He said a batch of 1,500 was air-freighted to Holland, Austria, West Germany and France this week.
According to Meirovitch, the Europeans favor the Israeli detector because it is the smallest and cheapest on the market.
As the Year Turns, Support the Journalism You Trust. JTA covers the stories shaping Jewish life around the world — with the depth this moment calls for. As you reflect on the year ahead, consider a gift that keeps independent Jewish journalism strong.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
