From Safer Skies to Fewer Fires: 10 Ways NIST Impacts Your Daily Life

Much of the work NIST does may seem far removed from your daily life. After all, how often do you find yourself trapping ions or measuring the nutrients in peanut butter?

But the reality is that there are many ways our work tangibly impacts — and improves — your daily life and the U.S. economy.

How exactly, you may be wondering? (I know if I didn’t work at NIST, I’d be wondering that.) Well, wonder no more.

In the tradition of year-end top 10 lists, we present to you … the top 10 (often little-known) ways that NIST’s research impacts your daily life.

1. Air travel: 45,000 flights a day in the U.S. stay in the air because of the accuracy of the airspeed sensors on every plane. These sensors work properly thanks to standards calibrated by NIST in our wind tunnel.

2. Your health: More than 700 million X-ray images — including 40 million mammograms — are safely and effectively performed every year in the U.S. That’s because the X-ray exposure used in every one of them is traceable to the radiation physics labs at NIST. (If you’re wondering what it means to be “traceable,” it means that the chain of calibration — or all the steps it took to test and check that the machines are operating as intended and providing accurate results — can be traced back to NIST.)

In addition, approximately 70% of our health care decisions are based on clinical measurements, such as cholesterol, glucose in your blood and testosterone levels. NIST’s clinical standard reference materials (SRMs) enable the accuracy and reliability of the more than 500 million clinical measurements performed annually in the U.S.

3. Saving lives: Since the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 was passed, annual U.S. fire fatalities have decreased by more than 50%. NIST’s fire research has played a crucial role in saving thousands of lives annually. Advances include cigarette-resistant furnishings, guidance on the performance and location of smoke alarms, less-flammable mattresses, better firefighter gear and improved U.S. building codes.

In addition, SRMs are used to ensure accurate and reliable determination of blood alcohol content levels by law enforcement personnel across the U.S., helping to make our roads and highways safer.

4. Keeping you on time: Did you know that NIST keeps time for the nation? Our time services receive more than 100 billion hits a day, including by your computer and phone. Telecommunications networks, the power grid and stock markets also depend on NIST’s accurate time dissemination. (Learn more about the atomic clocks that help facilitate this.)

5. Buildings, bridges and other structures: More than 110 million tons of steel is safely used every year in the U.S. NIST produces and sells 5,000 standards that are used to test steel for hardness and toughness. Steel companies rely on our tests to make sure their steel is used safely. In addition, 30 billion tons of concrete used every year around the world relies on a NIST SRM for quality control.

6. Shopping and gas: More than 50% of the U.S. economy depends on weights and measures, which are regulated at the state level. NIST’s Office of Weights and Measures supports states’ efforts to ensure fairness in every commercial sale in the U.S. This includes making sure you get what you pay for at the pump thanks to NIST’s accurate measurements for liquid containers and the training of state inspectors.

7. Safe(r) travels: More than 160 million U.S. passports are protected against skimming attacks due to NIST measurements of RFID-enabling technology.

And every day, the more than 2 million Americans flying on commercial flights rely on advanced screening technology for their safety. NIST measurement standards for radiation security screening systems help keep us all safe in the skies.

8. Your home: Home insulation greatly reduces your heating and cooling bills. NIST offers a highly accurate measuring service for low-density, thick insulation. This ensures that you are getting what you pay for when you install insulation in your home.

9. Healthy babies: Nearly 3 million infants in the U.S. rely on formula as their sole source of nutrition annually. NIST’s SRMs support nutrient and contaminant testing that ensures the formula’s safety and that its ingredients lead to proper growth and development.

10. National security: The U.S. military annually performs electrical calibrations traceable to NIST, thus ensuring the readiness of fleets (including ships and planes), weapon systems and communication systems. These calibrations keep us safe by ensuring that systems are accurate and can reliably perform their designated missions.

Interested in learning more about these and other ways NIST works for you? You can check out additional examples on our NIST Works for You page.

Editor’s Note

Special thanks to NIST’s chief metrologist, Jim Olthoff, for providing many of the examples used in this list. Check out Jim’s recent blog postfor even more information about why measurements at NIST are important for the nation and the world.

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