What’s the real lowdown on the Full Body Scanners?

This past week, full body scanners debuted at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). Tippee Allender, an account executive from Greenville, SC, one of the first passengers at PHL to go through the scanner said, “It’s fine with me. I’d rather be safe on this flight…” The first day passengers going through PHL’s full body scanner, all had similar opinions.

Do you agree with their opinions?

Many raised serious privacy issues about full body scanners when they were first introduced. Some people have said to go through them is to go through a “virtual strip search.”

The fully body scanners certainly have the ability to do just that, but after many objected to the initial units, TSA has said they’ve put in safeguards to eliminate the privacy problems. If TSA adheres to these safeguards, they’ve essentially eliminated the privacy issues.

Scanner safety should be a critical consideration before anyone walks into one.

The effects of x-rays on the human body are well known and have been studied for years. American Science and Engineering Inc. reports that a person undergoing a backscatter scan receives approximately 0.01mrems. According to U.S. regulatory agencies, 1mrem per year is a negligible dose, and 25mrem per year is the upper limit of safe radiation exposure.

While I’m not a doctor, I know the effects of x-ray exposure are cumulative. With such a low dose, backscatter x-ray seems safe for most occasional travelers, but I think the jury is still out for frequent fliers, especially ones who have had significant x-ray or other nuclear radiation diagnostic or treatment procedure for medical purposes.

It’s well known that implanted medical devices such as pacemakers can be affected by electomagnetic pulses. Millimeter wave (MMW) airport scanners produce such pulses, and unless and until significant testing is completed, it would seem prudent for passengers with pacemakers, to avoid MMW full body scanners, as they might significantly alter the waveform of the pacemaker pulse. Backscatter x-ray scanners apparently don’t affect these units.

It’s been my experience that TSA agents won’t tell you which kind of full body scanner they’re using for your security line, if they know. Regardless, can we trust them to “absolutely” know?

If I was a patient receiving significant medical radiation each year, or if I had an implanted medical device, such as a pacemaker, I would refuse to enter a full body scanner.

If our government is going to install full body scanners to ensure the air safety of the traveling public, I would think it’s incumbent on TSA that at the least, they don’t decrease TSA efficiency at airports.

Last month I traveled through New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport. It’s equipped with an MMW full body scanner in the terminal from which I flew home.

There were two security lines operated by TSA when I went through the terminal. One line went through the full body scanner and nothing more, and the other went through the tradition metal detector and pat down. I went through the traditional line. It was a good thing I did, otherwise I might still be in New Orleans.

Taking my time to re-dress, I counted how many passengers cleared security in each line. For every passenger who went through the full body scanner, 18 went through the traditional line. Statistically my sample may be small, (5 people through the scanner) but I think it’s indicative of reality, from what I’ve seen at other airports.

I don’t want to wait in line at TSA security forever, so I’ll opt to avoid the scanner, whenever possible.

Of course, the bottom line is, do these scanners make us safer? That’s what passengers Tippee Allender, Jack Ledoux, and Antonio DiMaria were looking to get from the new scanner at PHL. Their sentiments are, if it makes us safer, then it’s okay to go through it.

Unfortunately, I think the answer to whether these scanners make us safer is, maybe yes, and maybe no. For my money, I was hoping the answer would be a resounding yes.

In my opinion, the two most important aspects we need to understand about both the Backscatter x-ray, and the MMW full body scanners are that their scans don’t penetrate the skin, and they create images for inspection which depend on the density of what they’re scanning.

If a terrorist hides a small bomb, gun or knife under their clothing, the scanners will detect that. On the other hand, tests have shown, if a terrorist hides an explosive material such as PETN, in low density power form in clothing (like the Panty-Bomber), it’s highly unlikely the scanners will detect it, as its density is too low.

Moreover, if a terrorist hides an explosive such as a small stick of the powerful explosive C4, in a plastic bag, in a body cavity, the scanners will not detect it, as they can’t penetrate skin.

I don’t think terrorists are dumb, so depending on these scanners to make us safe, without subsequent pat down searches, makes me fearful.

In 1775, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Considering our Constitutional rights, and our safety, what do you think Franklin would say about the full body scanners?

I think Franklin would be relieved that the scanners’ privacy issues appear to be alleviated, nevertheless I think Franklin would be outraged at their use.

I think Franklin would say that TSA depending on full body scanners to make us secure, with their serious safety issues for many passengers, their innate inefficiency, and their critical shortcomings in protecting air passenger security, should “frighten to death” every airline passenger.