Scientists warn of danger in airport body scanners

[avaistheone1]

WASHINGTON — US scientists warned Friday that the full-body, graphic-image X-ray scanners that are being used to screen passengers and airline crews at airports around the country may be unsafe.

"They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays," Dr Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University school of medicine, told AFP.

"No exposure to X-ray is considered beneficial. We know X-rays are hazardous but we have a situation at the airports where people are so eager to fly that they will risk their lives in this manner," he said.

The possible health dangers posed by the scanners add to passengers and airline crews' concerns about the devices, which have been dubbed "naked" scanners because of the graphic image they give of a person's body, genitalia and all.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/body-scanners-dangerous-scientists/

[indepat]

1. Who woulda' ever thunk it, that flight crews being x-rayed five or more time a week (maybe +/- 7,500

times over one's career) might ever cause cancer? Noboby could have guessed that one in a million years. :shrug:

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Gee, does that mean they won't live long enough to collect their pensions?

Wonder if the airlines care.

Or do pilots even get pensions anymore?

[pipi_k]

3. Oh, pooh!!!

Those x-rays are just as safe as the WTC site like EPA officials told us after 9/11!!!!



:sarcasm:

[avaistheone1]

10. Party pooper

:sarcasm:

[AzDar]

4. K & fookin' R

Insert Ben Franklin Liberty/Security quote here --->

:kick:

[somone]

5. But the morons who run those machines are surely more competent

than the morons who run your CT scans...

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-ct-safety-20101110,0,5197990.story
The FDA said it was aware of at least 385 patients from six hospitals who had been exposed to excess radiation, but independent counts showed more than 400 cases. A normal CT scan is estimated to carry about 400 times as much radiation exposure as a chest X-ray. Some patients have thus received the equivalent of 3,200 chest X-rays, a dosage that carries a significant cancer risk. Some of the patients have reported hair loss and other problems.

[felix_numinous]

6. If is the scatter radiation

is not shielded or filtered, these soft rays will interact with the skin. Radiation safety standards demand that all soft rays be filtered out, leaving only the usable primary beam that is necessary for an image. Also all women who think they are pregnant or are pregnant should opt out, as well as children, since their acceptable annual radiation dosage is much lower than the general public. Judging by the photos, I hope that it is the computer enhancement making the skin light up on the images, if it is not then the xray being used could be soft rays.
Also xray technologists are supposed to shield the gonad area when doing medical xrays on children and everyone in child bearing years, as well as using lead to block out areas not in the area of interest with lead(this is done automatically). I do not see enough radiation safety right off the bat. The only way this could be safe is that if they are using minuscule amounts of radiation to make these images, but it doesn't look like it.
Remember the foot fluoroscopes that used to be used in the 50s in shoe stores? They were banned too because they shot radiation straight up to the nads, most likely unfiltered. Not good.
The public should demand that the national radiation safety officers approve these machines at the very least, and demand that maintenance is kept up with stickers exposed saying so.

[spin]

7. Why would a pilot want to sneak explosives on a plane?

He can just fly the plane into a building. All the body searches and x-ray scans will never detect his plans.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. between those x rays

and receiving a dose of radiation from high altitude flying, I would say flying maybe hazardous in the long run.

[postulater]

9. I'm gonna wear a lead cup next time I fly.

If they want they can peek inside.