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Man that's annoying. I don't feel like these scanners have been impartially vetted by the medical community and while they are potentially safe, it's going to b

Man that's annoying. I don't feel like these scanners have been impartially vetted by the medical community and while they are potentially safe, it's going to be a bummer to finally be forced through one.

UnoriginalGuy 11y ago
Indeed. And previously pregnant women, those with compromised immune systems, and parents of young children could opt out. Not so much now. I will say that the current Millimetre Wave machines are likely safer than the now defunct Backscatter X-ray machines. At least we're dealing with non-ironising radiation with a lower amount of raw energy.
- carbocation 11y ago
  Is there independent evidence supporting their claims that they have correctly calibrated these devices to emit non-ionizing radiation?
  - gugagore 11y ago
    Have you calibrated your flashlight to emit non-ionizing radiation?
    - Johnny555 11y ago
      I calibrated mine -- there's a little calibration screw on the back labeled with "Gamma, X-ray, UV, Visible, IR, Microwave, UHF, VHF, HF, ELF" It's only got about 120 degrees of rotation, so it's tricky trying to tune it to emit a particular color. I had it turned to ELF for a while, but then the Navy called and said my flashlight was disrupting their submarine communications.
      - GhotiFish 11y ago
        Man, you must of twisted that screw tight.
cgearhart 11y ago
There isn't as much concern about the health implications since the backscatter machines were moved to low volume airports a few years ago (I haven't seen any at major airports anyway), so they're primarily using the microwave machines (non-ionizing radiation) at major airports. Interestingly, it wasn't the risks that led them to opt for microwave scanners - backscatter machines were too slow for the volume of passengers seen at large airports.
mtgx 11y ago
The EU has banned such scanners over health concerns. Just something to keep in mind.
- UnoriginalGuy 11y ago
  They didn't ban the currently deployed Millimeter Wave scanners. They banned the previously deployed Backscatter X-ray machines.
- cgearhart 11y ago
  To be clear, the EU only banned backscatter x-ray machines, which the TSA has mostly eliminated in favor of millimeter wave machines.
seiji 11y ago
it's going to be a bummer to finally be forced through one. Earlier this year, Terminal 5 at Heathrow wouldn't let me opt out of the scanner. Kinda felt like a personal violation, but the duty guards just said I was uneducated for having any concerns outside of their training.
- cgearhart 11y ago
  I frequently have conversations with the TSA about their machines. They have been trained to discuss the differences between backscatter x-ray & MMW technology to allay concerns about the health risks associated with the former, especially in airports that only use the latter. They're typically very surprised to find that I'm very clear on the differences, and that my objection rides on the privacy implications rather than health concerns. Call me old fashioned, but we shouldn't let it become normal for the government to scan your body as a precondition to travel.
- schoen 11y ago
  The Heathrow staff were wrong: the UK has changed its policy to allow travelers to opt-out (which was originally not allowed at all). Their training must not have been updated. Whenever I travel to a country that uses body scanners, I carry a printed copy of the airport's FAQ page (if available) and the government FAQ page or law that says that passengers are allowed to opt out. Then I know that I can show this to the people operating the checkpoints or to their supervisors if necessary. So far it was only necessary once (in the Netherlands, where body scanners are used routinely and some checkpoint staff aren't trained well about the opt-out option). But I still have a printout of the UK one and remember very clearly when the policy changed (prior to the change, I took the train through the Chunnel to Brussels instead of flying out of Heathrow). Maybe I can set up a web page that has links to the policy and law documents so that people can find them more easily. There are already some pages that try to track which airports have body scanners, but I don't think I've seen one that tracks "what to show checkpoint staff to convince them that their country allows opt-outs".

UnoriginalGuy 11y ago

Indeed. And previously pregnant women, those with compromised immune systems, and parents of young children could opt out. Not so much now. I will say that the current Millimetre Wave machines are likely safer than the now defunct Backscatter X-ray machines. At least we're dealing with non-ironising radiation with a lower amount of raw energy.

carbocation 11y ago
Is there independent evidence supporting their claims that they have correctly calibrated these devices to emit non-ionizing radiation?
- gugagore 11y ago
  Have you calibrated your flashlight to emit non-ionizing radiation?
  - Johnny555 11y ago
    I calibrated mine -- there's a little calibration screw on the back labeled with "Gamma, X-ray, UV, Visible, IR, Microwave, UHF, VHF, HF, ELF" It's only got about 120 degrees of rotation, so it's tricky trying to tune it to emit a particular color. I had it turned to ELF for a while, but then the Navy called and said my flashlight was disrupting their submarine communications.
    - GhotiFish 11y ago
      Man, you must of twisted that screw tight.

cgearhart 11y ago

There isn't as much concern about the health implications since the backscatter machines were moved to low volume airports a few years ago (I haven't seen any at major airports anyway), so they're primarily using the microwave machines (non-ionizing radiation) at major airports. Interestingly, it wasn't the risks that led them to opt for microwave scanners - backscatter machines were too slow for the volume of passengers seen at large airports.

mtgx 11y ago

The EU has banned such scanners over health concerns. Just something to keep in mind.

UnoriginalGuy 11y ago
They didn't ban the currently deployed Millimeter Wave scanners. They banned the previously deployed Backscatter X-ray machines.
cgearhart 11y ago
To be clear, the EU only banned backscatter x-ray machines, which the TSA has mostly eliminated in favor of millimeter wave machines.

seiji 11y ago

it's going to be a bummer to finally be forced through one. Earlier this year, Terminal 5 at Heathrow wouldn't let me opt out of the scanner. Kinda felt like a personal violation, but the duty guards just said I was uneducated for having any concerns outside of their training.

cgearhart 11y ago
I frequently have conversations with the TSA about their machines. They have been trained to discuss the differences between backscatter x-ray & MMW technology to allay concerns about the health risks associated with the former, especially in airports that only use the latter. They're typically very surprised to find that I'm very clear on the differences, and that my objection rides on the privacy implications rather than health concerns. Call me old fashioned, but we shouldn't let it become normal for the government to scan your body as a precondition to travel.
schoen 11y ago
The Heathrow staff were wrong: the UK has changed its policy to allow travelers to opt-out (which was originally not allowed at all). Their training must not have been updated. Whenever I travel to a country that uses body scanners, I carry a printed copy of the airport's FAQ page (if available) and the government FAQ page or law that says that passengers are allowed to opt out. Then I know that I can show this to the people operating the checkpoints or to their supervisors if necessary. So far it was only necessary once (in the Netherlands, where body scanners are used routinely and some checkpoint staff aren't trained well about the opt-out option). But I still have a printout of the UK one and remember very clearly when the policy changed (prior to the change, I took the train through the Chunnel to Brussels instead of flying out of Heathrow). Maybe I can set up a web page that has links to the policy and law documents so that people can find them more easily. There are already some pages that try to track which airports have body scanners, but I don't think I've seen one that tracks "what to show checkpoint staff to convince them that their country allows opt-outs".