[ RadSafe ] Luggage/package X-ray Screening Safety Standard(UNCLASSIFIED)

[Sandy Perle]

With today's technology, the typical x-ray unit used in airports for
scanning carry-on luggage results in a very small exposure. The units used
for scanning "checked" luggage for a typical scan is about 1.5 to 2.5 mSv
each. If the unit is energized externally and kept on, there is the
potential for a higher exposure obviously.


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Sander C. Perle 
President
Mirion Technologies, Inc., Dosimetry Service Division
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614

Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714 ext 2306
Fax:(949) 296-1144

Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
Mirion Technologies Website: http://www.mirion.com


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of Robert Atkinson
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 12:43 PM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Luggage/package X-ray Screening
SafetyStandard(UNCLASSIFIED)

There have been cases of airport workers lying on the belt and x-raying
themselves when things were quiet!  I don't have a reference (I see both
both aviation and radsafety incident reports) but this was an offical
incident report, not a web story. There was also a recent (UK) TV news
report of an infant being inadvertantly passed through an airport x-ray
machine.
   
  Robert Atkinson MRAeS.


Cary Renquist <cary.renquist at ezag.com> wrote: 
  
The units' cabinets appear to be designed so that there is sufficient
space before and after the primary beam that one could not insert an
extremity directly into the primary beam unless one was laying on the
belt (or perhaps built like an orangutan). It looks like if you stick
your arm through the flaps you will get unshielded scatter exposure, but
not exposure from the primary beam.

The baby carrier would be the exception that could not be easily handled
by a physical/mechanical design -- there would need to be some sort of
sensor-interlock mechanism (perhaps some sort of infrared sensor).

Cary

---
Cary Renquist
RSO, Eckert & Ziegler Isotope Products
Office: +1 661-309-1033
cary.renquist at ezag.com

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Wes Van Pelt
Sent: Sunday, 16 March, 2008 07:42
To: 'Walt Cofer'; 'Michael Borisky (Civ, ARL/ADLO)'; radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Luggage/package X-ray Screening SafetyStandard
(UNCLASSIFIED)

Walt and All Radsafers,

I just read the FDA rule on cabinet x-rays. (Sec. 1020.40 Cabinet x-ray
systems.) One section puzzles me. Think of airport luggage scanning
x-ray machines. It seems that a human body part can enter the chamber
and be exposed to the beam. One could stick an arm or head thru the
flaps and be exposed. In the extreme, a baby in a baby carrier could
ride thru the machine and get exposed. Yet, the FDA regs clearly state:

"(3) Ports and apertures. (i) The insertion of any part of the
human body through any port into the primary beam shall not be
possible."

Does anyone know how this is resolved? Perhaps I am missing something.

Best regards, 
Wes
Wesley R. Van Pelt, PhD, CIH, CHP 
Wesley R. Van Pelt Associates, Inc. 
a


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Walt Cofer
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008 12:58 PM
To: Michael Borisky (Civ, ARL/ADLO)
Cc: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Luggage/package X-ray Screening Safety Standard
(UNCLASSIFIED)

Be sure to review 21 CFR, Part 1020 (Performance Standards for Ionizing
Radiation Emitting Products); there are FDA standards applicable to
those units. You can access the regs from the web, and I'll email you a
condensed Word version in a separate message; my version is easier to
read.

Walt Cofer
Radiation Control, Inc.
Tallahassee, FL
Tel: (850) 668-8559
Cell: (850) 519-5351
Fax: (850) 893-2566
Email: radcontrol at embarqmail.com
Web: www.rad-control.net

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Borisky (Civ, ARL/ADLO) 
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Sent: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:25:24 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Luggage/package X-ray Screening Safety Standard
(UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED 
Caveats: NONE

Dear Radsafers,

Can anyone direct me to the safety standard that best applies to the
X-ray machines that are used to screen luggage, packages, etc. I'm most
interested in seeing what survey requirements are recommended, and at
what frequency. Thanks in advance. 

Mike Borisky
Army Research Lab

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