a couple of TSA data points

[tamarinne]

We were traveling this weekend, our first flights since the new security measures were implemented.  I was reluctant to step into a backscatter radiation box, not so much because I care if I'm getting ogled by a remote TSA agent, as I care that I'm stepping into a radiation box that the manufacturers assure me is Perfectly Safe.  I've received more

Comments

[be_well_lowell]

I suspect the radiation from the backscatter machines is safer than the radiation you get from flying in an airliner at 30,000 feet. And roughly as effective at protecting the plane from hijackers.

[tamarinne]

What really bothers me is that I don't know. The only reports on the radiation that I've seen are as follows:
(A) the manufacturers and/or the TSA saying, "it's fine, really".
(B) other medical experts who say, "it may deliver unhealthy levels of radiation to the surface of the skin, but independent study is needed."
(C) the manufacturers and/or the TSA saying, "pshh. No, really. It's fine."

If an independent study confirms that the radiation really is minimal, I will rethink my stance. But given that I'm already in a high risk category for skin cancer, I'm content to get patdowns until there's more data.

I'm not a scientist

[ext_333578]

but some scientists are indeed concerned, specifically about the amount of radiation focused on the skin, so ... yeah, if I had a high skin cancer risk, I'd be doing what tamarinne is.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/35498347/UCSF-letter-to-Holdren-concerning-health-risks-of-full-body-scanner-TSA-screenings-4-6-2010

Thanks for the data. Sounds like the TSA agents are probably more uncomfortable than the people they're patting down.

[herooftheage]

I'm checking with my oncologist, but I think I'm going to go the pat-down route. I take 4 or 5 trips a year by play. An extra 10 scans on top of the ones I currently get for medical reasons can't be on the path to enlightenment.