Are Airport Full Body Scanners Safe?

Before I was a chiropractor, I received a Master's Degree in Environmental Health. As part of that program, I had a course in Radiation Biology. We learned a lot of very interesting things in that class.

One thing I learned was about LD 50 (lethal dose 50), which is how much radiation is required to kill 50% of a species, within 30 days of exposure. the LD 50 for humans is estimated at 450 rads of radiation. On the other hand, the LD 50 for cockroaches is about 100,000 rads!

Another interesting thing that I learned was about scatter radiation, which doesn't pass right through the body, but gets absorbed by the body. Scatter radiation is one of the worst forms of radiation. It is ionizing radiation that can damage DNA and can cause cancer. We learned that there isn't a "safe" level of exposure to scatter radiation or to x-rays. The ONLY SAFE LEVEL OF EXPOSURE IS ZERO!

Backscatter is the echo off of the body from the scatter radiation and is what leaves the image that the TSA agents look at.

After 911, these backscatter X-ray units quickly became standard screening tool at US airports. The TSA claimed the amount of low-intensity radiation given off by these machines were safe, but I had my doubts from the beginning and I always opted out of being x-rayed.

The manufacturers and the TSA, claimed that the exposure was less than 10 microREMs of radiation per screening. This is an amount equivalent to what an airplane passenger might be exposed to, after just two or three minutes of exposure when flying at cruising altitude.

That corporate claim was proven to be false. It was revealed that the concentrated radiation from these scanners are far more harmful than originally claimed.

A New Kid on the Block:

Now the TSA has come up with a different type of screening technology that it claims is safer. The millimeter wave machine is the latest technology, but how safe is it?

Since millimeter wave technology doesn't emit ionizing radiation, or x-rays, it was hoped to be much safer.

According to the TSA’s Frequently Asked Questions page, millimeter wave imaging technology:

“uses harmless electromagnetic waves to detect potential threats, which are highlighted on a generic outline of a person appearing on a monitor attached to the unit. If no anomalies are detected, an ‘OK’ appears on the screen with no outline.”

That seems great, but unfortunately, this explanation by the TSA may be misleading. A closer look into millimeter wave technology and the ways in which it impacts the human body during an average TSA screening, reveals that the doses of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the TSA’s millimeter wave technology machines may be harmful and may also increase your chances of getting cancer.

What’s Wrong With Millimeter Wave Radiation?

Millimeter wave technology uses microwaves. Microwaves have a negative impact on human cells. Microwave frequencies entering the skin will induce a certain level of atomic motion within the cellular structure and heat the skin, which is the least of the problems.

Just how much this millimeter wave radiation microwaves your skin is subject to debate, but most scientists are in agreement that any amount of radiation poses at least some level of risk.

A 2012 paper published in the journal Radiation Research admits that the safety of millimeter wave body scanners is “difficult-to-impossible to prove using publicly accessible data.” The TSA's claim that a negligible risk is associated with their use, appears to be the opinion of the TSA and not based on scientific fact.

How Millimeter Waves From a Full Body Scanner May Cause Cancer:

There are also non-thermal effects of millimeter wave radiation, which disrupt cellular communication in ways that science has yet to fully understand.

The United States Air Force conducted its own research into ultra-high frequency, non-ionizing radiation as a potential weapon. Their research determined that the non-thermal activity of millimeter wave radiation directly interferes with the body’s ability to protect and heal itself.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that millimeter waves not only heat the skin but also damage eyesight and potentially can cause cancer, particularly cancer of the skin.

Skip the Full Body Scanner and Opt for a Pat Down:

In my opinion, the safest thing to do for your health is to always err on the side of caution. In this situation that would mean to opt out of the TSA screening process with millimeter wave radiation and get a pat down and walk through the metal detector instead. It may take longer and be physically intrusive, but you will save yourself and your loved ones from this potential danger.

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