TSA to study health effects of X-Ray body scanners

[stu2002]

The devices expose passengers to small doses of ionizing radiation, a form of energy that can cause cancer

Following months of congressional pressure, the Transportation Security Administration has agreed to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to study the health effects of the agency’s X-ray body scanners. But it is unclear if the academy will conduct its own tests of the scanners or merely review previous studies.

The machines, known as backscatters, were installed in airports nationwide after the failed underwear bombing on Christmas Day 2009 to screen passengers for explosives and other nonmetallic weapons. But they have been criticized by some prominent scientists because they expose the public to a small amount of ionizing radiation, a form of energy that can cause cancer.

http://www.salon.com/2012/12/18/tsa_to_study_health_effects_of_x_ray_body_scanners/

[jj-]

It wouldn't surprise me if they do some low-quality, short-term study that doesn't detect the long-term damage.

[sevin]

I can tell you right now what the results will be.

[donnay]

It's laughable really--the fox guarding the henhouse studies.

Just get rid of these cancer causing machines NOW!!! Look who benefited from putting them in--Former DHS Michael Chertoff.

[Kotin]

Who can take them seriously since they are announcing this after they have been in use for quite a while.. Fuckin morons.

[tod evans]

Load the senate and congress folks who approved the TSA budget into those machines and toast their testicles and ovaries..

An effective test I could approve of...

[jj-]

Who can take them seriously

Every moron will take them seriously. Seemingly smart people like medical students and doctors, most of them, will take them seriously.

[Matt Collins]

A good friend of mine who is a nuclear engineer says these are the pertinent questions to ask:


- Is there a dosimeter nearby to measure output?

- Is the machine calibrated, if so, how, and when?

- Have any TSA officials been trained in radiation exposure?

- Does the TSA have a license to control this amount of radiation?

- Has this machine been licensed, certified, or regulated?

- What are the machine's operating parameters?

- What is the scatter pattern around the machine?

- What are the exposure limits?

- How much and what type of radiation is radiated?

- Does this machine and procedure comply with 10 CFR20? (http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part020/)

[tangent4ronpaul]

Load the senate and congress folks who approved the TSA budget into those machines and toast their testicles and ovaries..

An effective test I could approve of...

I was going to suggest a low cost study. put cousin Janet and maybe a couple of others in one for a week and hit scan repeatedly, then check back in a month, 3 months, and 6 months and see if they are still alive or have grown gills or whatever.

-t

[kathy88]

I was going to suggest a low cost study. put cousin Janet and maybe a couple of others in one for a week and hit scan repeatedly, then check back in a month, 3 months, and 6 months and see if they are still alive or have grown gills or whatever.

-tJanets balls will be huge(er)

[HOLLYWOOD]

LOL! After the fact...

Right up there with Nuke Explosions and Agent Orange

[tod evans]

Janets balls will be huge(er)

Don't marshmallows expand in the microwave?