TSA Announces US Airport Scanner Radiation Tests

Safety tests are planned for US airport security agents involved in the operation of full-body scanners, the US Transport Security Administration has announced. These tests will aim to establish whether these workers, in daily contact with these technologies, have been exposed to radiation.

Since the introduction of full-body scanners in recent months, several waves of public concern have emerged. These millimetre-wave scanners are intended to detect the presence of concealed weapons and/or explosive devices on passengers and they capture an image of the body as it appears beneath clothing.

Even though this image is only seen by a remote operator and not automatically archived, many members of the public have felt that their privacy rights have been violated. Alongside this concern is the health factor.

Airport Scanner Radiation Tests

The TSA's now moving to get operators present at the scene of this screening process involved in airport scanner radiation tests.

"TSA is dedicated to the health and safety of its employees", administration representative Nico Melendez explained, in a statement, adding: "We continuously test our technology to ensure it is safe for both passengers and our officers, and post all results to our website."

According to the agency, the agents involved will be drawn from a good 100 airports located across the United States, although these sites haven't been identified by name. It will only be these individuals on whom the tests will be performed, so passengers won't feature and neither will the machines themselves.

TSA: Airport Radiation

The tests will see the security agents equipped with monitors called dosimeters, which assess radiation exposure levels.

According to the TSA, full-body airport scanners are incapable of emitting anything over 0.005 millirem of radiation during a single scan. That's a mere fraction of the radiation associated with certain medical procedures and, in further comments made to the Los Angeles Times, Melendez highlighted how, already, the US Army's Public Health Command and the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health have verified these machines' safety.

Even so, TSA critics want more to be done, with independent examinations top of their list.

Airport scanning image copyright US Federal Emergency Management Agency

See also - 

News:

Change to US Airport Security Patdowns

Products and Services:

Companies supplying Airport Security