are airport full-body scanners dangerous?
Have you heard the latest news?
Last month, a pilot in charge of express delivery-
Some of you may have flown in the name of mainland express--
Refused to scan the imaging machine through the body at the airport.
You don\'t need it;
You can choose the whole body shoot-down instead.
Only he refused.
He agreed to pass the metal detector, but it was not good enough for safety, and finally reported that his work was \"suspended. \" (
I have requested a comment from express jet but have not received any reply).
I would like to ask the pilot one thing: what would you feel if one of your passengers chose to exit this screening?
I \'ve been through two screenings recently, body scanning machines and whole body filming
I\'m not interested in either of these.
Nevertheless, I do not agree that airport safety, as some traffic safety management critics say, is only \"theater \".
\"But I have questions about the body scanner and I got some answers ---
I will tell you if I will go again in a second.
For more air travel news and insights, visit Rick\'s blog:AIT)
Machines, what do most of us say about body scanners?
It\'s very simple, really--
Raise your arms and wait for 10 seconds before you can go. Painless. Or is it?
Some people worry about safety;
If not now, maybe on the road.
A few weeks ago, when I was talking to TSA spokesman Nico Melendes at Los Angeles International Airport, he was patient.
When he answered my question
I wrote other questions I asked him in my previous column on airport security).
I\'m sure he has answered many times before.
\"Let\'s just say that,\" says Melendez of TSA, \"If a technology is dangerous for passengers, if it is dangerous for our employees, we will not put it at the airport.
Emissions from this technology are less [what]
Anyone can just talk through a basic mobile phone.
The technology will not penetrate the skin, he added.
On the TSA website, officials recorded the security of the technology used by the two body scanning systems ---
Millimeter wave and reverse scattering X-ray --
The evidence seems convincing.
\"In the 17 minutes of ordinary life, a person receives more radiation from natural sources than from a single scan. \")
But can this calm all doubts? I suspect not.
There is another question: privacy. Atlanta-
David Bernknopf, a partner at a video production company and based in flier, has gone through multiple physical scans, but he admits, \"I can\'t help but feel that the process is a bit creepy.
\"He\'s not the only one.
For many people, they are worried that their nude photos will go viral on the Internet.
Or just the nagging feeling that TSA officials are looking at their scans ---and laughing (or lusting).
Again, it may not be possible to change your mind if you believe this, but TSA\'s Melendez insists there is no \"naked\" image.
\"Basically, what we do is put the picture [
For the rear scanner];
\"Now, this picture is very much like a gingerbread cookie, which is the outline of the body,\" he added . \".
\"As for the millimeter wave machine, he said you can see things like underwear lines, but there are no physical details, plus the face of the person is blurred.
Can I prove this to you?
Not exactly, because I was not allowed to see my own image when I recently passed the scanner at Los Angeles International Airport. Conspiracy-
People with ideas may say, \"Aha!
\"But others, including myself, may get some comfort from the image I didn\'t see: TSA seems to take such images very seriously that no one is allowed to access other than the officials who handle the details.
TSA did not save or store these images for the record-
As you might imagine, it doesn\'t really delight law enforcement ---
Also, TSA officials looking at them can\'t have a cell phone, camera or any recording device in the small room where the image is displayed.
Like you know, these security rooms are far from the actual body scanning machine, so some TSA officials don\'t stick their heads out of the door and stare at a passenger and say, \"Hey, I was wondering if this was the guy who just passed the line and it looks like he needs to lose a few pounds.
\"These officials do not see the object of their review.
But the key to the question is: Will body scans do what they need to do?
I asked Melendes if such a machine would be in the so-last year-
Known as an underwear bomber, he was allegedly arrested after Christmas attempts to bomb Northwest Airlines aircraft.
He told me, \"This is one of the questions that cannot be answered.
I can tell you that this technology will make things a lot easier.
\"So, where do I stand on TSA\'s advanced imaging technology?
Still on the fence.
I prefer it to the full pat-
Down, I found this to be professional, but at least it can be said to be invasive, yes, a bit awkward.
But if you make a choice between scans, pat-
Go down the metal detector, I take the metal detector every time
Is the machine safe?
I am not a scientist, but other products that were once considered completely benign, such as asbestos, have been shown to be benign.
On the other hand, there is a lot of concern about mobile phones, but these towers have been rising.
I will pass the body scanner if necessary-
With some little doubt
The work is a columnist\'s point of view and does not reflect the point of view of ABC News.
Rick Seaney, one of the country\'s leading ticket experts, interviewed and analyzed news agencies including ABC News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters, The Associated Press and Bloomberg.
His website, FareCompare.
Free for consumers
On behalf of the software, combined with expert internal tips, find the best ticket transaction.