Airport body Scanners – Gauging the Safety Quotient

For those who have not yet spotted the novel screening devices which are been installed across airports in the United States, probability of you seeing it shortly are quite high.

The TSA or Transportation Security Administration is swapping majority of the metal detector devices with imaging gadgets which divulge information about objects concealed within the clothes of a passenger. However, a number of specialists are apprehensive that the novel airport body scanners could be exposing flyers to health dangers. In point of fact, airport scanners come in duo forms and the pre-requisite in these is the person to be stepping inside booths and raising his/her arms.

Millimeter wave technology is one of them that emits radio waves that bounce off an individual’s body for producing monochromatic images by gauging energy reflection occurring. This type of full body scanner is widely used globally & the TSA has stated that the millimetre wave technology produces much lesser energy in comparison to a mobile phone. Also disparate to metal detectors, such devices could spot items which are prepared from other substances such as plastics & ceramics. Also it doesn’t employ X-rays for bouncing electromagnetic waves off our bodies to capture analogous images.

Backscatter technology employs low level X-rays for producing image which resembles a chalk etching. The level of radiation produced by this form of full-body screening is equivalent to duo minutes of flying in an aircraft according to the government however several studies have indicated it to be more.

The image produced by millimetre wave are in comparison more phantom-like & in lesser detail as compared to those captured through backscatter devices prevalently employed by the TSA across airports countrywide.

Since backscatter devices deploy less energy X-rays, absorption of majority of the radiation is done by the skin’s surface and thus not penetrating the body which is the case in medical X rays. However several specialists deem that it can augment the chances of skin cancer or mutation in sperms occurring to particularly those who travel frequently by air.

Other worries surfacing in regards to the use of airport scanners are the effect they would have on cancer patients, expectant mothers & those with weakened immune systems – making them far susceptible to radiation risks. However, possibly the greatest worry regarding the use of airport body scanners in setups is the likelihood of a software malfunction or operators blundering which tends to expose a passenger to excess radiation dosages.

Even though the TSA states that the airport body scanners are risk-free, one is permitted to forego them & in its place go for the metal detectors. However in case one goes for that choice one would be subjected to a proper hands-down rummaging that could easily be taking additional time. Also several individuals might be considering it to be rather invasive.

One may come across opposition from the screening staff when turning down the requirement to go through airport scanners hence do remember taking a print-out of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) from the official web site of TSA that states one having the rights for doing so. One could even inquire in airports whether the tool deploys the more bothersome X ray technology.