FAQ

1. What is CodeBe used for?

CodeBe is a rapid wipe-based beryllium contamination screening technology designed to support contamination awareness across aerospace, defense, electronics, nuclear, precision engineering, CuBe machining, recycling, and advanced manufacturing environments.

"If you are not CodeBe clean, there is little operational logic in beginning expensive laboratory testing cycles."

Many organisations use CodeBe to support contamination investigations, housekeeping verification, maintenance activity, and operational contamination-control workflows.

External references:
https://www.osha.gov/beryllium
https://www.energy.gov/ehss/chronic-beryllium-disease-prevention-program

2. What is CodeNu used for?

CodeNu is a rapid wipe-based contamination screening technology designed to help identify uranium and plutonium contamination within defense, emergency response, customs, border security, civil nuclear, and preparedness environments.

It is designed to support faster operational decision-making during contamination investigations, alarm resolution, field deployments, and radiological response operations.

External references:
https://www.iaea.org/topics/nuclear-security
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/radiological-emergency-preparedness-program

3. Do our products replace laboratory analysis?

No.

CodeBe and CodeNu are designed to support rapid contamination screening and operational awareness within real-world environments. Laboratory analysis, industrial hygiene programs, radiation safety protocols, and approved analytical methods remain essential.

Many organisations use rapid screening tools for field operations, primary screening for decontamination and to help manage uncertainty before laboratory confirmation becomes available.

External references:
https://www.osha.gov/chemical-hazards
https://www.icrp.org

4. What can CodeBe detect?

CodeBe is designed to detect beryllium metal, oxide and/or hydroxide, nitrate, sulphate, copper alloy and fluoride, beryllium-containing particulate, machining residue, settled contamination, and operational contamination transfer across industrial and engineering environments.

External references:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/beryllium
https://www.osha.gov/beryllium

5. What can CodeNu detect?

CodeNu is designed to detect uranium and plutonium contamination including uranium metal, UO2, yellowcake, uranium nitrate, uranium hydroxide, UF4, processed uranium ore, and plutonium contamination.

External references:
https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation.html
https://www.iaea.org/topics/uranium-production

6. Does CodeBe have any interferences?

Like all colorimetric tests, our products rely on stable pH. Strong acids and strong alkaline substances may interfere with the chemistry and reduce product performance. This may cause a yellow discoloration if present.

7. Does CodeNu have any interferences?

Like all colorimetric tests, our products rely on stable pH. Zinc can occasionally produce a light pink response, while heavily oxidized copper surfaces may generate a lighter purple coloration. In contrast, uranium and plutonium contamination produce a deeper maroon or dark purple result as per the below images.

Where zinc, galvanized materials, or heavily oxidized copper surfaces are expected, CodeNu dry wipes are recommended as they eliminate or significantly reduce the likelihood of background reactions. Strong acids and strong alkaline substances may also interfere with the chemistry and reduce product performance.

8. Why is rapid contamination screening important?

In many operational environments, organisations need faster contamination awareness than traditional laboratory workflows alone can provide.

Rapid screening may support maintenance activity, emergency response, contamination investigations, housekeeping verification, alarm resolution, and operational decision-making.

External references:
https://www.fema.gov
https://www.osha.gov/industrial-hygiene

9. Which industries use CodeBe?

CodeBe may support contamination awareness across aerospace manufacturing, defense production, CuBe machining, electronics manufacturing, semiconductor environments, recycling, and occupational hygiene programs.

External references:
https://www.osha.gov/aerospace
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au

10. Which environments use CodeNu?

CodeNu may support emergency response, military operations, customs screening, border security, civil nuclear, critical infrastructure, and radiological preparedness environments.

External references:
https://www.dhs.gov/topics/countering-weapons-mass-destruction
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49168.htm

11. Can CodeBe be used within OSHA beryllium programs?

Yes.

Many organisations use CodeBe within broader OSHA-aligned contamination-control and occupational hygiene programs to support their screening and monitoring programs, housekeeping verification, contamination investigations, maintenance activity, and contamination awareness.

CodeBe is not presented as a replacement for OSHA-required exposure monitoring or approved analytical methods. It complements it.

External references:
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1024

12. Can CodeNu be used within radiological safety programs?

Yes.

Many organisations may use CodeNu within broader radiological safety, preparedness, emergency-response, and contamination-control frameworks alongside radiation survey instruments, laboratory analysis, and operational response procedures.

External references:
https://www.iaea.org/topics/radiation-protection
https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation.html

13. Is beryllium contamination always visible?

No.

Beryllium-containing particulate contamination may not be visually obvious while still requiring careful contamination-control and occupational hygiene management.

Our blog article "The myth of visibly clean".

External references:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/beryllium

14. Can CodeNu be used by emergency responders?

Yes.

CodeNu may support police, fire, hazmat, ambulance, radiological response, and emergency-management organisations during contamination investigations and field screening operations.

External references:
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/emergencies
https://www.fema.gov

15. Why are maintenance activities important for contamination control?

Maintenance work often disturbs contamination that has gradually accumulated inside machines, extraction systems, tooling areas, engineering spaces, or operational environments.

Many contamination concerns are first identified during maintenance rather than normal production. For example, hazard accumulation behind machinery that is only revealed upon maintenance or cleaning. Particles may migrate over time without being noticed. While engineering controls are essential for safety, routine monitoring with our products completes the safety net.

External references:
https://www.osha.gov/housekeeping

16. Why are customs and border agencies interested in CodeNu?

Customs and border-security organisations frequently deal with alarm resolution, cargo screening, suspicious packages, contaminated vehicles, and uncertain radiological environments.

Rapid contamination screening may help support faster frontline operational decisions before escalation occurs.

External references:
https://www.dhs.gov/port-security
https://www.iaea.org/topics/nuclear-security

17. Why is contamination mapping important?

Contamination does not always remain confined to one workstation or process area. It may spread gradually through maintenance activity, tooling movement, PPE, workwear, extraction systems, carts, and shared operational workflows.

Contamination mapping may help organisations identify recurring hotspots and improve contamination-control practices.

External references:
https://www.osha.gov/industrial-hygiene

18. Why are aerospace manufacturers interested in CodeBe?

Aerospace manufacturing frequently involves CuBe alloys, precision machining, specialist tooling, electronics, connectors, and advanced materials where contamination-control and occupational hygiene are increasingly important.

External references:
https://www.osha.gov/aerospace

19. Can CodeNu support preparedness programs?

Yes.

CodeNu may support operational contamination awareness within nuclear preparedness, radiological response, CBRN, and resilience-focused environments where organisations require practical field-based screening capability.

We see this capability as indispensable in nuclear fallout management and nuclear threat management.

External references:
https://www.ready.gov
https://www.nato.int

20. What is occupational hygiene?

Occupational hygiene focuses on identifying, assessing, and controlling workplace exposure risks associated with hazardous materials, contamination, airborne particulates, and operational exposure pathways.

External references:
https://www.bohs.org
https://www.acgih.org

21. Why are rapid field tools becoming more important?

Operational environments increasingly require faster contamination awareness than delayed laboratory workflows alone can provide.

Many organisations are building layered “collaborative safety stacks” combining laboratory analysis, field instrumentation, operational procedures, and rapid screening tools.

External references:
https://www.iaea.org/topics/emergency-preparedness-and-response

22. Why choose Color Tech Holdings?

Color Tech Holdings develops rapid contamination-screening technologies designed to support operational decision-making across industrial, nuclear, defense, occupational hygiene, emergency response, and preparedness environments.

The company’s technologies are informed by experience connected to U.S. national laboratories, national security environments, and operational contamination-management challenges.

External references:
https://www.y12.doe.gov
https://inl.gov

23. What is the limit of detection for CodeBe?

CodeBe has a limit of detection (LoD) of approximately 0.04 µg per 100 cm² for beryllium contamination screening. The technology is designed to identify beryllium metal, oxide, hydroxide, nitrate, sulphate, fluoride, and copper beryllium alloy contamination directly within operational environments.

The technology was developed from earlier DOE and national laboratory colorimetric beryllium detection work intended to support rapid field-based contamination assessment below DOE free-release thresholds.

External references:
https://www.osha.gov/beryllium
https://pcportal.doe.gov/
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc779053/

24. What is the limit of detection for CodeNu?

CodeNu has a limit of detection (LoD) of approximately 3 µg per 100 cm² for Uranium and approximately 2 µg per 100 cm² for plutonium contamination screening. CodeNu is designed as a rapid operational contamination-screening technology for uranium and plutonium compounds including UO2, yellowcake, uranium nitrate, uranium hydroxide, uranium metal, UF4, processed uranium ore, and plutonium contamination.

Because contamination conditions vary significantly depending on compound type, oxidation state, surface condition, and environmental factors, operational interpretation should always be considered alongside broader radiological assessment workflows, field instrumentation, and laboratory confirmation where appropriate.

More soluble compounds generally produce faster and more distinctive reactions, although wipes should be observed for up to 15 minutes before final interpretation.

External references:
https://www.iaea.org/topics/radiation-protection
https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation.html
https://www.icrp.org

25. Who is currently using CodeBe?

CodeBe technologies are already being used across a range of highly regulated and technically demanding environments including U.S. national laboratories, defense industry environments, fusion-energy programs, advanced manufacturing operations, and research institutions.

The technology originates from work connected to the Y-12 National Security Complex and has operational relevance across contamination-control, occupational hygiene, and engineering environments where rapid contamination awareness is important.

Use cases span:

national laboratory environments,
fusion-energy research,
aerospace manufacturing,
copper beryllium machining,
nuclear operations,
advanced engineering,
and contamination-control programs.

External references:
https://www.y12.doe.gov
https://home.cern
https://www.iter.org
https://inl.gov
https://www.energy.gov/ehss/chronic-beryllium-disease-prevention-program

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FAQ

1. What is CodeBe used for?

2. What is CodeNu used for?

3. Do our products replace laboratory analysis?

4. What can CodeBe detect?

5. What can CodeNu detect?

6. Does CodeBe have any interferences?

7. Does CodeNu have any interferences?

8. Why is rapid contamination screening important?

9. Which industries use CodeBe?

10. Which environments use CodeNu?

11. Can CodeBe be used within OSHA beryllium programs?

12. Can CodeNu be used within radiological safety programs?

13. Is beryllium contamination always visible?

14. Can CodeNu be used by emergency responders?

15. Why are maintenance activities important for contamination control?

16. Why are customs and border agencies interested in CodeNu?

17. Why is contamination mapping important?

18. Why are aerospace manufacturers interested in CodeBe?

19. Can CodeNu support preparedness programs?

20. What is occupational hygiene?

21. Why are rapid field tools becoming more important?

22. Why choose Color Tech Holdings?

23. What is the limit of detection for CodeBe?

24. What is the limit of detection for CodeNu?

25. Who is currently using CodeBe?