Re: Q: dose from airport x-ray?

[Michael Williamson <m.williamson@mailbox.uq.edu.au>]

M. Woo wrote:
> 
> I have a question from someone who is concerned about putting food
> through a typical airport x-ray security scanner and would like to give
> her a "real life" frame of reference.  As I have no idea of the typical
> operating parameters of such a unit, I can't do the calcs for
> exposure/dose/whatever to an item going through the scanner.
> 
> As numbers tend to be meaningless in a case like this, what would be
> ideal is some sort of comparison relative to say, what dose her food
> would receive from a trans-Atlantic flight or something similar.
> Anyone have a rough estimate?
>

I have sent intgrating ion chamber instruments through a number of
"Linescan" baggage inspection units.  The usual dose is between 100 and
200 micro R.  Yes, it's that low!

Not sure how this compares with long flights: any takers?
-- 
Michael Williamson 
(m.williamson@mailbox.uq.edu.au )
                
Radiation Protection
Adviser                                                             
Occupational Health & Safety Unit       
University of Queensland
Brisbane 4072
Australia

ph +61 7 3365 4504
fax +61 7 3365 1577

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