TSA Scan
The full-body scanners that are deployed in airports are considered now to be grave for regular flyers, of probable skin cancer, due to repeated radiation exposure.
Transportation Security Administration in USA has deployed full-body scanners in airports last year. Many opposed it stating privacy and health concerns due to radiation exposure, but TSA opined the radiation beam through the scanners are harmless, as of low frequency.
Flying exposes more to ionizing radiation, as a flyer is vulnerable more to cosmic rays at altitude elevation, in comparison to the scanners that put up about 1% or so.
Across 78 airports in the US have around 486 scanners being deployed so far, and about 1000 are believed to be deployed by 2011. There are 2 different types of full-body scanners put in use, generally, where each of the scanners produce out detailed outline of person on scan, to recognize out if they carry any lethal weapons or have hidden anything illegal/non-permissible under their clothes.
Millimeter-wave scanners used at airports emit low energy waves same like of a cell phone we use in every –day practice, where the scanners incarnate the reflected energy.
The backscatter X-Ray scanners, which are also used use low-dose ionized radiation similar to that used in diagnostic medical imaging procedures. In contradiction to X-Ray, where the disparity in the transmission of the beam through the human body is made to produce out images, the backscatter scanner detects out radiation emitted off of the person, and when the emitted out radiation go through the air, the energy gets deposited to the skin tissue, which can lead to serious skin cancers etc. on prolonged exposure.
Unlike millimeter-wave scanners, the backscatter X-ray scanner uses ionizing radiation, and severe exposure can pose more dangers to the individuals. With low-dosage exposure only biological damage occurs, as the cell continuously repairs this damage endlessly to mend over the impairment. On the other, moderate dosage can be bit harmful, as it transform the cells permanently, and could lead to grave cancers and other birth-associated deformities/irregularities.
In every other case of low, moderate or high-dose exposures, risk is always associated – if the individual is made to pass for prolonged usage. Though security is vital, but more than that health always take first priority. For elaborated article (Courtesy:Archives of Internal Medicine) we direct you to the following link: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/archinternmed.2011.105v1.pdf
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