Airport scannersDHS report concludes airport scanners are safe
A new report by the DHS Inspector General concludes that the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) full body scanners are safe; the IG reviewed five independent studies and concluded that an airline passenger would have to be subjected to 17,000 screenings a year, or forty-seven a day, to reach the limit of acceptable radiation dosing
DHS maintains scanners are safe // Source: radiosarajevo.ba
A new report by the DHS Inspector General concludes that the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) full body scanners are safe.
In the report, released on Tuesday, the Inspector General reviewed five independent studies and concluded that an airline passenger would have to be subjected to 17,000 screenings a year, or forty-seven a day, to reach the limit of acceptable radiation dosing.
The Washington Times reports Senator Susan Collins (R – Maine), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, was not convinced by the report and maintained that an independent non-governmental organization should study the machines.
“This report is not the report I requested,” Collins said. “An independent study is needed to protect the public and determine what technology is worthy of taxpayer dollars,” she said.
The senator went on to say that additional studies need to be completed on specific groups that may be at greater risk like pregnant women and TSA employees.
The report also noted that not all of TSA’s employees had completed their training sessions with the machines, despite the agency’s insistence that all of its employees have been trained.
“This report demonstrates that the Transportation Security Administration should improve training for its employees in radiation safety and ensure that scanning machines are consistently calibrated,” said Representative Edward J. Markey (D – Massachusetts). “TSA must do a better job in enforcing its safety training, developing refresher courses for employees and ensuring consistent and uniform calibration of these machines.”
TSA’s full body scanners, particularly its 247 backscatter units, have drawn sharp criticism as they rely on radiation to scan an individual. Due to the potential health risks posed by the machines, the European Union has banned the use of backscatter body scanners, instead opting for millimeter wave x-ray machines, which do not emit radiation.
Defenders of backscatter scanners say the machines emit a minute amount of radiation, the equivalent of flying at high altitudes for a few minutes.
