Body Scanners

TSA Claims X-ray Scanners are Safe as Europe Bans Scanners for ‘Health, Safety’

The European Union has decided to ban all X-ray scanners from EU airports in order to protect the health and safety of EU citizens, yet the TSA still claims that the scanners are completely safe.

The ban comes after the recent media outburst regarding the 1998 report that linked the X-ray scanners to cancer. The report found that the machines could be causing 100 cases of cancer per year, conservatively.

It is quite clear that the TSA is clinging on to the X-ray scanners for dear life, while the EU is taking the appropriate steps in protecting the health of travelers. This is evidenced by how differently the two governing bodies responding to the X-ray scanner cancer issue.

The European Union, following the news that the scanners are causing a threat to public health, decided to address the threat by removing the scanners. The European Commission issued a press release on November 14th calling for members of the European Union to remove X-ray scanners from its airports to avoid risking “citizens’ health and safety.” The United States on the other hand,went back on a promise to launch an independent safety into the machines.

Instead of commissioning the independent review, TSA administrator John Pistole has declared a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ‘draft’ that focuses primarily on the upkeep and maintenance of the machines to be sufficient evidence that the machines are safe. The draft has not yet been released, though Pistole assures the American people that it is very conclusive and reassuring.

In fact, Pistole actually states that it is his ‘belief’ that the scanners are safe during a Senate hearing that was to be centered around hard evidence regarding X-ray scanner safety.

‘My strong belief is those types of machines are still completely safe,’ Pistole said. ‘If the determination is that this IG study is not sufficient, then I will look at still yet another additional study.’

Of course there is hard evidence that the machines are posing a risk to the health of citizens, just as the European Union has stated.

The scanners admittedly use ionizing radiation, which is known to cause DNA damage as well as cancer. The 1998 estimate of 100 cancer cases per year as a result of the body scanners is most likely far below the real numbers, considering that the radiation level of the machines was often-times found to be “10 times more” than expected.

It is quite outlandish how the TSA still expects citizens to blindly accept their lack of evidence on the supposed safety of the machines in place of the real evidence highlighting the powerful dangers.

Source: https://www.activistpost.com/2011/11/tsa-claims-x-ray-scanners-are-safe-as.html#more

Europe bans X-ray body scanners used at U.S. Airports

The European Union on Monday prohibited the use of X-ray body scanners in European airports, parting ways with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which has deployed hundreds of the scanners as a way to screen millions of airline passengers for explosives hidden under clothing.

The European Commission, which enforces common policies of the EU’s 27 member countries, adopted the rule “in order not to risk jeopardizing citizens’ health and safety.”

As a ProPublica/PBS NewsHour investigation detailed earlier this month, X-ray body scanners use ionizing radiation, a form of energy that has been shown to damage DNA and cause cancer. Although the amount of radiation is extremely low, equivalent to the radiation a person would receive in a few minutes of flying, several research studies have concluded that a small number of cancer cases would result from scanning hundreds of millions of passengers a year.

European countries will be allowed to use an alternative body scanner, on that relies on radio frequency waves, which have not been linked to cancer. The TSA has also deployed hundreds of those machines – known as millimeter-wave scanners – in U.S. airports. But unlike Europe, it has decided to deploy both types of scanners.

The TSA would not comment specifically on the EU’s decision. But in a statement, TSA spokesman Mike McCarthy said, “As one of our many layers of security, TSA deploys the most advanced technology available to provide the best opportunity to detect dangerous items, such as explosives.

“We rigorously test our technology to ensure it meets our high detection and safety standards before it is placed in airports,” he continued. “Since January 2010, advanced imaging technology has detected more than 300 dangerous or illegal items on passengers in U.S. airports nationwide.”

Body scanners have been controversial in the United States since they were first deployed in prisons in the late 1990s and then in airports for tests after 9/11. Most of the controversy has focused on privacy because the machines can produce graphic images. But the manufacturers have since installed privacy filters.

As the TSA began deploying hundreds of body scanners after the failed underwear bombing on Christmas Day 2009, several scientists began to raise concerns about the health risks of the X-ray scanner, noting that even low levels of radiation would increase the risk of cancer.

As part of our investigation, ProPublica surveyed foreign countries’ security policies and found that only a few nations used the X-ray scanner. The United Kingdom uses thembut only for secondary screening, such as when a passenger triggers the metal detector or raises suspicion.

Under the new European Commission policy, the U.K. will be allowed to complete a trial of the X-ray scanners but not to deploy them on a permanent basis when the trial ends, said Helen Kearns, spokeswoman for the European transport commissioner, Siim Kallas.

“These new rules ensure that where this technology is used it will be covered by EU-wide standards on detection capability as well as strict safeguards to protect health and fundamental rights,” Kallas said.

Five-hundred body scanners, split about evenly between the two technologies, are deployed in U.S. airports. The X-ray scanner, or backscatter, which looks like two large blue boxes, is used at major airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, John F. Kennedy in New York and Chicago’s O’Hare. The millimeter-wave scanner, which looks like a round glass booth, is used in San Francisco, Atlanta and Dallas.

Within three years, the TSA plans to deploy 1,800 backscatter and millimeter-wave scanners, covering nearly every domestic airport security lane. The TSA has not yet released details on the exact breakdown.

Source: https://www.propublica.org/article/europe-bans-x-ray-body-scanners-used-at-u.s.-airports/single

TSA Claims X-ray Scanners are Safe as Europe Bans Scanners for ‘Health, Safety’

Europe bans X-ray body scanners used at U.S. Airports

Search

Multilingual Website

Mailing List

Name
E-mail