Readiness and Transport

Dewar Boiloff Report
After concluding the initial boiloff test on Dewar #14 we transferred much of the LN2 over to Dewar #15 using an LN2 pump designed by Hugh. We completed the fill from the bulk tank to begin boiloff testing on the second of the three new dewars. Dewar #15 has now been quietly boiling off over the past 17 days while Mike Perry has been monitoring the boiloff rate.

Airline Transportable Ice Bath (ATIB)
The research and development team has been working on constructing a new ‘Alcor Team Only’ ATIB which was designed by Steve Graber several months ago. The main reasons for building a new ice bath were to reduce both the size and weight to make it more suitable for airline transportation. We will continue to use the current portable ice bath (PIB) for all of our response teams. Our internal team travels frequently with only a moment’s notice.  The standard ice bath is simply too bulky and too heavy to be transported efficiently through the airport system. We experienced delays and extremely high baggage fees due to the oversize and overweight of the PIB during check‐in. The new ice bath is now only 1/2 the weight and about 1/8th the size of the previous ice bath when it is folded down for transport.

TSA Known Shipper Certification
On Aug. 3, 2007, President Bush signed into law the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007 (9/11 Act) P.L. 110-53 (2007), legislation requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a system to enable industry to screen 100 percent of cargo transported on passenger aircraft at a level of security commensurate with the level of security of passenger checked baggage, within three years. The impact of the 100 percent screening requirement is that all cargo must be screened at the piece level by TSA approved methods prior to being loaded onto a passenger aircraft.

The Known Shipper data Management System provides a systematic approach to assessing risk and determining the legitimacy of shippers by allowing TSA to identify and approve the Known Shipper status for qualified shippers located in the U.S.

Alcor has completed the process to obtain “Known Shipper” status with the Transportation Security Administration.  While we will still use a mortuary with similar status to arrange for the shipping of our patients, we now have the ability to ship/return our response kits through the airline’s cargo division to save on costs and hassles.

Watch List
There were a number of acutely ill members on Alcor’s watch list. Most of them have experienced significant health improvements from their medical treatments. Only one member is being closely monitored.

Media
The Financial Times, based out of the U.K., ran a story in their ongoing series titled “The Job” where they focus on interesting and unique jobs around the globe. The journalist, Rhymer Rigby, takes readers through a variety of jobs in world industry to show some of the people behind the headlines. This month the article focused on the role of Alcor’s Medical Response Director, Aaron Drake.