By Feng Zengkun
DEMAND for radiation detectors has surged here in the wake of
the Japanese tsunami and nuclear crisis.
Local company QT Instruments, one of the few companies here that
sell the specialised equipment, said sales tripled in the weeks
after the March 11 disaster. It sold all 20 of the dosimeters it
had in stock within a week, and has orders for 100 more from
various local companies.
QT Instruments director Myra Chung said the bulk of the orders
came from companies with employees in Japan, with personal buyers
making up the rest.
'We had a father who wanted to buy dosimeters for his daughters
in Japan,' she said yesterday.
Dosimeters - which can range from the size of a pen to the size
of a person's palm - are typically used to measure a person's
exposure to radiation. They cost between $400 and $600, with most
small enough to be either worn or carried in pockets. They are
different from Geiger counters, which measure airborne radiation
and cost thousands of dollars. A Geiger counter is about the size
of a brick and is used to measure larger areas.
Sales of Geiger counters at QT Instruments have also increased,
with up to five counters ordered every day. Last week, the company
also fielded a request for 90 counters from a local business, which
it declined to name.
