TSA Airport Scanners: Radiation Truths and Lies

New airport scanners are embarrassing to many, but are they safe? (TSA)

(CBS) Is the government keeping the truth about radiation risks from  unsuspecting passengers forced to go through the new "backscatter" scanners at our nation's airports?

Certainly, many Americans think the TSA isn't shooting straight.

So, CBS News asked leading radiation safety experts from MIT and the respected Health Physics Society for the real scoop on radiation levels on not just airport scanners but 12 other every day radiation sources, many of which you probably never thought about.

How much radiation comes from drinking a glass of water or spooning with your spouse?

You might be surprised at the answers.

Read our slide show for more.

14 Photos

Airport Scanners and 12 Must-Know Radiation "Risks"

[amominillinois]

I'm so tired of the lie "a little radiation can't hurt you" Here's a Stanford University study from 2005 that proves otherwise. {http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2005/pr-abrams-102605.html}

Even a little bit of radiation can change your DNA!

[Robegera]

Are X-Ray wavelengths of light a more dangerous source of radiation? Regardless of the radiation emitted I don't want any exposure to Gamma wavelengths of light. Am I correct? When I go to the dentist they make every effort to only shoot the light beam at the tooth being x-rayed while I wear a lead apron to protect the rest of my body. What is the recovery time the body requires to heal itself after radiation exposure? Does it take longer to recover from higher dosages or more dangerous sources?

[rockyflatsgear]

Robegera,
Soft tissue absorbed soft x-rays more than hard gamma, that is why your body is transparent in a chest x-ray. The dentist and scanners use soft x-ray (45-60KVp) the low energy x-rays are more damaging to DNA. Jeff Buske TO learn more see:
http://www.rockyflatsgear.com/How-penetrating-are-airport-back-scatter-x-rays.html

http://www.rockyflatsgear.com/How-penetrating-are-airport-back-scatter-x-rays.html

[estrago1]

So according to this article, these body scanners emit approximately 0.01 millirems of radiation (at the most). Since many of the statistics listed in this article are based on the highest amount of radiation emitted from the body scanners, the statistics in this comment will also be based on the highest radiation emitted from the body scanners. So let's do some number crunching.

Being scanned once emits 0.01 millirems of radiation. And according to this article, drinking three glasses of water everyday, for one year is equivalent to 0.045 millirems of radiation, making it worse than on scan through the body scanner. But is it really worse? 0.045 mrem a year is equal to about 0.0001 mrem a day, from drinking water. And that is considerably less than 0.01 mrem.

Now think about this: one scan from one of these body scanners everyday, for one year, is equal to about 3.65 mrem, about 81 times more than drinking 3 glasses of water everyday for 1 year.

As for dental X-ray pictures, how many times in a 5-year stretch do you get an X-ray image of your teeth? According to (http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/OC/Information/OralHealthBasics/CheckupsDentProc/XRays/XRaysandIntraoralPictures.cvsp), a patient with no recent dental or gum disease, who regularly visits the dentist, can expect an X-ray image taken of their teeth every five years. Even if you have an X-ray image of your teeth taken once every year for 5 years, that's only 2.5 mrem of radiation.

So let's say that someone is subjected to one body scan everyday for 200 days a year, for 5 years. That's 10 mrem of radiation, 4 times more than taking an X-ray image of your teeth once every year, for 5 years.

One thing this article did that ticked me off was making it sound like these body scanners are better for you than, say, drinking water or sleeping with your spouse. But what needs to be said is that radiation, no matter where it comes from, is bad for your body. So why add something else to our lives that can increase the amount of radiation we get everyday.

One little piece of constructive criticism: more "everyday tasks" should've been used; not medical procedures that may never happen in your life, or things like space travel, that aren't yet available to the public. Things like walking outside on a sunny for a set amount of time, or talking on your cell phone.

[rockyflatsgear]

The published dose numbers are way off the REM unit is for a whole body exposure scanners deliver most to the first cm and skin. Scanners use soft x-ray (45-60KVp) the low energy x-rays are more damaging to DNA, skin & breast cancer results. Jeff Buske TO learn more see:
http://www.rockyflatsgear.com/How-penetrating-are-airport-back-scatter-x-rays.html

http://www.rockyflatsgear.com/How-penetrating-are-airport-back-scatter-x-rays.html

[gunfitr]

Well, there is a lot of good points here and a lot of bad ones. I am a law enforcement officer certified by both the State of CA. and the FBI. I was once stopped (by a dog) because of Nitrate residue on my hands from teaching a shooting class.
That is fine with me.What bothers me is once I had to throw away a fingernail clipper because it was not safe. Many times I have flown with the same clipper. TSA regs. say the safety of an item is strictly up to the security agent when you go thru their station. Many items could be standardized on a list kept at the post. If someone attacked me with a fingernail clipper, I would take a nap while they tried to hurt me till I got up and broke their arm or neck. As far as these inspectors being college grads etc. I do not see it. Some mabe but the majority no. I have personally viewed their training. The newest rookie cop just out of an academy would put them to shame.

[gunfitr]

Well, there is a lot of good points here and a lot of bad ones. I am a law enforcement officer certified by both the State of CA. and the FBI. I was once stopped (by a dog) because of Nitrate residue on my hands from teaching a shooting class.
That is fine with me.What bothers me is once I had to throw away a fingernail clipper because it was not safe. Many times I have flown with the same clipper. TSA regs. say the safety of an item is strictly up to the security agent when you go thru their station. Many items could be standardized on a list kept at the post. If someone attacked me with a fingernail clipper, I would take a nap while they tried to hurt me till I got up and broke their arm or neck. As far as these inspectors being college grads etc. I do not see it. Some mabe but the majority no. I have personally viewed their training. The newest rookie cop just out of an academy would put them to shame.

[mrbandot]

While at the SFO airport last week I kept hear an announcement THREAT LEVEL IS AT ORANGE REPORT ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS CALL 911. At that moment I saw a group playing music at the food court but NOT taking money. Despite reporting this suspicious activity the TSA did nothing. We are at ORANGE we need to live our lives in fear, we need to justify the TSA existance and expense despite the fact we have been at ORANGE for nearly 10 years. If we are being protected when does the threat move to blue? I am giving up flying according to the TSA we could die on the next flight!!!! But then I am also worried a asteroid may hit my house, and the supervolcano in yellowstone will kill all life on earth.

[LovinItAll]

I referenced this site in an earlier post, but for another user's experience with the T.S.A. and their screening tactics, there's a good read at www.SurfingTheCurve.com. I wish the blogger had video of the event like the 'breast milk' incident that has been in the news. I think the T.S.A. is a JOKE!

[rockyflatsgear]

We are doing our part we at Rocky Flats Gear offer DHS/TSA approved color coded Blue-Red x-ray protective briefs for men and panties for women. Reduce your cancer risk show your support for the homeland and color coordinate with the "threat" level! All kidding aside the general use of x-rays for "security" is dangerous to public health. We are working to raise public awareness and improve public health. Jeff Buske

[LovinItAll]

The TSA is a complete farce, and just another organization designed to perpetuate the administration's strategy of governing by fear. Among other really good blogs out their, surfinthecurve.com has a couple of posts about the TSA that are interesting, though not necessarily ground-breaking.

[cardamom1]

I cannot believe the idiocy! Know this, if you fly in an airplane, you might die. The plane might fail, or who knows! That is a possibility no matter who is feeling you up. You are not safer because some dimwit just felt you up on the way through the gate. All you are is molested, then you might die in the plane anyway. Tell TSA to take a hike. This is insane!
p.s. a bachelors degree is not a license to molest. p.s.s. there are plenty of non-tsa agents who have masters degrees who do not care to be felt up on the way to their flight. As a member of society, take some pride in the fact that the public is willing to take on anyone that tries to bring a plane down, even if we have to use our plastic forks to do it.

www.stanfordprisonexp.org

[palchus]

"They are not targeting the right people", that's what an American said when I told him my story.

This world is looking like 1984 more and more. It sends me a chill up the spine. All the freedom values of the Western world have been annihilated or are in the process of becoming so under the argument of "safety".

I had 5 pounds extra luggage, so I had to repack and take some stuff in the cabin. I wanted to be sure that I would get pass the security control. So I showed EVERY item to a security personnel (the ones doing the checked baggage). They assured me everything I was taking was permitted.

Wrong, I set off some sort of alarm and the idiotic personnel took about 25 minutes to check every single thing that I carried, finally confiscating the handle of a razor (whose blade I had previously disposed off) and a screwdriver I needed to open the crate I had checked.

Ironically, in France the double-triple-checked-carry-on also set an alarm. Picture yourself I am Western, Caucasian and Christian, and this Arab security employee wouldn't let me through with a roll of scotch tape.

I was so pissed off I told her I would check it as cargo, but since they couldn't call my luggage, I just went through the control again in Paris' airport, with the scotch tape still in my bag and guess what? Another employee took the scotch tape roll, only to see the remainder of the contents of the bag, and then he put it back in nicely.

Which clearly shows this ******** operate according to their whims and not to guarantee any safety. It's Schadenfreud pure and simple, just low-class people given a chance to make life miserable for you.

Security control personnel in most countries can only dream about boarding planes, they are amongst the most ignorant and stupid stratus of the populace. I just hope they all from cancer from the leaked x-ray radiation.

How about looking for real menaces instead of going for the regular traveler for a change? Because I don't know how, but when THEY want to get through they get through, and we get treated as criminals for carrying nail-clippers and screwdrivers.

[msgAmerica]

First off...most of TSA employee's have college degrees. They are men and women that have served this great nation either by the military or by law enforcement. There are retired teachers, nurses, police officers, engineers, and other medical professions that are TSA officers. Some TSA employees have seconds job and their main job is teaching, radiology technologist, nursing, social worker, etc. If I am not mistaken some of these profession needs an A.S to a Master degree!!!! So to those that speak myths about the TSA employees you are highly mistaken! Get your facts before running your mouth about gibberish. Your naivet?'s makes you unbecoming and foolish!

What is astonishing to me is that I really don't understand those that have no degree or never took physics and cant even comprehend or know Newtown's laws to even be commenting on the radiation and physics part of this article. Read, "Physics for Dummies", maybe you will be less pretentious to comment on a subject you have no idea about!

Last, but not least...for those who want TSA to go private, I hate to bust your bubble, but even if TSA goes private the protocols, equipment, and employees will remain the same. The only thing that will change is the employer (TSA). So what is your reasoning behind privatizing TSA again??????


P.S.
By the way I have a high school diploma and have a B.S. degree.

Sincerely,
A Proud U.S Solider, Nuclear Radiation tech, TSA officer, and a frequent flier!

[ColinReste]

**** you, your high school diploma & your Bull.****. degree you frequent flyer, TSO **********.

And proud U.S. soldier? What's there to be proud of? You went from one job were you probably killed women and children right to another where now you get to grope & feel them up.

You are a ******* tool.

[LovinItAll]

"Most TSA Employees have college degrees"

What? From what source are you getting your stats? Virtually ALL front-line TSA personnel - the folks that the public has to deal with in the airport - are carry-overs from the time airport security was provided by private contractors. In essence, they are about as qulaified as a security guard roaming an emppty parking lot of an indstrial complex at 2 A.M. in the morning. From the T.S.A. website:

===========================================
The TSA's official requirements for a TSO include:

U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
High school diploma (or GED), or one year of relevant work experience.
Background check to screen for past criminal record or any financial problems.
Drug-free, in good health, and able to lift heavy items weighing up to 70 pounds.
Able to stand for long periods of time.
=============================================

In other words, the same requirements that FedEx has for working in their hub lifting boxes from Midnight to 4 A.M.

I won't even comment on the rest of your garbage. Talk about dense....