[ RadSafe ] Airport Whole Body Scanner Risks
Otto G. Raabe
ograabe at ucdavis.edu
Mon Nov 22 12:26:05 CST 2010
Researchers: TSA Misleads Public on Scanner Safety
As the Transportation Security Administration's
deployment of backscatter X-ray machines at
airports draws increasing public resistance, four
University of California researchers say the
ionizing radiation used in these devices pose
serious health concerns. In early April of 2010,
the researchersall medical and biology
specialists
<http://www.scribd.com/doc/35498347/UCSF-letter-to-Holdren-concerning-health-risks-of-full-body-scanner-TSA-screenings-4-6-2010>wrote
the White House's science and technology
assistant, John Holdren, expressing "urgent"
concerns about the safety of so-called Advanced
Imaging Technology. TSA has claimed that the
scanners expose passengers to less than the
equivalent of a chest X-ray, but the researchers
say this claim is misleading because of the way backscatter X-rays work.
In a detailed paper submitted to the White House,
the researchers identified a number of red flags
associated with the use of this technology.
Specifically, even though the backscatter
machines operate at low beam powers, the majority
of their radiation is directed at the skin and
underlying tissue, not the entire body. The
report says because the X-ray energy is not
absorbed by the entire body, the skin dosage may
be dangerously high in localized areas, exposure
that's very different than a chest X-ray.
Furthermore, they say no independent data exists
on the safety of routine use of backscatter
machines. The TSA appears to have accepted data
from the manufacturers, without benefit of
conducting independent risk assessment buttressed by peer-reviewed data.
The researchers' report indentified several
categories of at-risk passengers, including
people over 65, women who may be sensitive to
mutagenesis provoking radiation, a breast cancer
risk and immunocompromised individuals. The
scientists urged the administration to assemble
an independent panel to evaluate the scanner
risk, but thus far, this hasn't been done,
although TSA did engage Johns Hopkins University
of Applied Physics Laboratory
<http://blog.tsa.gov/2010/03/advanced-imaging-technology-radiation.html>to
perform an engineering assessment. The university
claimed the radiation exposure is within safe
limits published by the American National
Standards Institute. Similarly, it posted
<http://www.acr.org/MainMenuCategories/media_room/FeaturedCategories/PressReleases/StatementonAirportFullbodyScanners.aspx>a
statement from the American College of Radiology
claiming that the backscatter machines represent
less radiation risk than the flight itself.
Neither of those reports addresses the
researchers' point about concentration of
radiation on the skin.At least two airline unions
aren't buying TSA's assurances. The U.S. Airline
Pilots Association and the Allied Pilots
Association are advising their members to avoid the scanners.
**********************************************
Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
Center for Health & the Environment
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
E-Mail: ograabe at ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 752-7754 FAX: (530) 758-6140
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