I thought we had a thread about this, but I can't find it, and anyway it's really old. Here's some new info, apparently the cancer risk is not quite negligible:
U.S. Government Glossed Over Cancer Concerns As It Rolled Out Airport X-Ray Scanners (http://www.propublica.org/article/u.s.-government-glossed-over-cancer-concerns-as-it-rolled-out-airport-x-ray)
Very interesting read.
One tidbit that caught my attention:
QuoteIn Rapiscan's Secure 1000 scanner, which uses ionizing radiation, a passenger stands between two large blue boxes and is scanned with a pencil X-ray beam that rapidly moves left to right and up and down the body. In the other machine, ProVision, made by defense contractor L-3 Communications, a passenger enters a chamber that looks like a round phone booth and is scanned with millimeter waves, a form of low-energy radio waves, which have not been shown to strip electrons from atoms or cause cancer.
I've only been in a body scanner once, at Schiphol (Amsterdam) Airport, and it was definitely a type of round phone booth installation (the scanner actually sort of revolves around you, IIRC), so I'm comforted that at least I got the not-shown-to-cause-cancer type.
i went through one in Baltimore last week and it was the L3 one. i did notice that the image presented is the new one that just shows a stylized outline of a generic person with alerts to areas that need checking. it gave me about 4 or 5 spots to check, and they just waved the wand over it, and passed me along.
i also witnessed them groping an old lady in a wheelchair for no apparent reason.
"ma'am, we're going to pat you down starting at the hip, and up under the breasts? is that OK?"
"heh?"
*grope*
she seemed confused and embarrassed.
i took a surreptitious pic with my phone. feel a bit bad about that, but i couldn't help myself. i was amaze even though i've heard it's SOP these days...
I refuse to fucking fly until they stop this bullshit. I don't believe in "safe" xrays, it will all turn out to cause cancer.
Quote from: Nigel on November 02, 2011, 07:18:10 AM
I refuse to fucking fly until they stop this bullshit. I don't believe in "safe" xrays, it will all turn out to cause cancer.
I wanted to put up a stink at Logan, but...
:turns hands up:
Serious business happened. On the bright side, I was not exposed to the same search coming back into the United States. They don't have these devices at Shannon Airport, but rather, the traditional type from 7 years ago.
i know this isn't related to bodyscans, strictly, but it's TSA...
I just read about special units of TSA called Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response teams.
referred to by the accronym, 'VIPR' teams. (pronounced viper)
seriously? VIPRs?
(http://www.myuselessknowledge.com/joe/vipers/cobrasoldier.gif)
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