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Backscatter x-rays for airport security
I received the following through another list server
and thought I would pass it along. The original item
may have been in the Travel section of the
the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, September 23, but
I cannot verify that point.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:58:53 -0400
From: Bruce Taylor <
Subject: X-ray article
TRAVEL
'Backscatter' X-Rays Enter the Picture
By AMY SCHAN
The government plans to soon begin testing a new
Security technology that could give airport screeners
detailed images of a passenger's body through his or
her clothing.
The Transportation Security Administration will launch
a pilot program in several airports of "backscatter"
X-ray machines, which use low radiation X-rays to
produce a black and white image that clearly shows the
person's body and any metal, plastic or organic
materials, such as marijuana, hidden beneath clothing,
The airports in the pilot project will be named in the
near future.
The agency said the machines to be used will be
modified to produce less explicit images and protect
passengers' privacy, "We are aggressively pursuing
continued development of backscatter technology,
Obviously, one of the major issues is the privacy of
passengers," said TSA spokeswoman Yolanda Clark.
One way is to adjust the machines to produce fuzzy
images; A less popular option is placing the screener
in an enclosed booth so others couldn't see the
graphic images of passengers.
TSA officials have long expressed interest in the
technology, but have so far failed to adopt it for
widespread testing or use in airports because of
significant privacy issues. There is also concern many
airports don't have enough space to host the giant
machines, but recent terrorist attacks that brought
down two Russian passenger jets have raised concerns
domestically about checking passengers more carefully
for possible explosives. TSA now requires passengers
remove jackets and can conduct full body pat-downs to
detect explosives.
"The biggest gap is a lack of technology to detect
explosives and weapons," said Rep, John Mica IR..
Fla.), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee.
"Only backscatter [technology] is going to provide you
with the most accurate detection of both weapons and
explosives. Period."
Privacy advocates say even with modifications the
technology can be uncomfortably revealing for many
people and would allow security screeners to find
objects that aren't related to airport security, such
as illegal drugs.
"It's like an electronic strip search,"_ said Barry
Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties
Union's technology and liberty program, "You certainly
have to worry about the possibility of voyeurism with
these machines."
TSA's interest in using backscatter X-ray technology
received a boost yesterday, when the Department of
Homeland Security's inspector general recommended its
adoption as part of a report critical of airport
screener performance.
Covert testing by Homeland Security investigators from
July 2003 through November 2003 at 15 airports
revealed that screeners' ability to detect
weapons hasn't improved since the government assumed
responsibility for screening from the airlines and
that screener performance was poor.
"It was easier to get guns, knives and improvised
bombs on planes than it should have been," said
Homeland Security Inspector General Clark Kent
Ervin. Details of how poorly screeners performed in
the undercover tests weren't released, Similar tests
by congressional investigators released earlier this
year also found lapses. TSA officials say security and
screener performance has improved significantly since
the tests were completed last year.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:02:48 -0400
From: Rob Morrison <>
Subject: Re: "Backscatter" X-Ray attachment
I know that some of these x-ray body scanners do exist
in some of our
airports since I have tried measuring on them before.
However they are used
by U.S. customs and not by the TSA. I believe they
are used instead of a
complete strip/body search by customs if the person
they are looking to
search consent to the scan. They are very low output.
One of them is the
Rapiscan secure 1000. Their website is
http://www.rapiscan.com/secure1000press.html
Rob
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:07:49 -0400
From: Rob Morrison <
Subject: Re: "Backscatter" X-Ray
This is another one that I have tried measuring on.
Body Search by AS&E
http://www.as-e.com/products_solutions/body_search.asp
Rob
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"A devotee of Truth may not do anything in deference to convention. He must always hold himself open to correction, and whenever he discovers himself to be wrong he must confess it at all costs and atone for it."
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-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail: crispy_bird@yahoo.com
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