| | |  Travel & Outdoors 
Airport Body Scanners Raise Radiation Concerns
 Seattle Times
go to original
May 28, 2010
| | Body scanners raise concerns | |
Airport body scanners raise concerns about radiation safety, but officials at the Department of Homeland Security say there is no need to worry.
A group of doctors and professors from UC San Francisco are raising new concerns about the safety of a type of airport full-body scanner built by Torrance, Calif.-based Rapiscan Inc.
To reveal weapons hidden under a traveler's clothes, the scanner relies on "backscatter technology," which uses the ricochets from low-level X-rays to create what looks like a nude image of the person.
The experts said they fear that the scanners may expose the skin to high doses of X-rays that could increase the risk of cancer and other health problems, particularly among people with weak immune systems.
But officials at the Department of Homeland Security say there is no need to worry.
"The risk is so low it's almost negligible," said Dr. Alexander Garza, the assistant secretary for health affairs and chief medical officer for the department.
The Transportation Security Administration is phasing in the scanners at U.S. airports. TSA says no date has been set for the scanners to arrive at Sea-Tac Airport, but it likely won't be before the end of the year. |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us