Radiation Exposure: TSA vs Airplane
One legitimate concern that people have about the new TSA groping requirements is the "mandatory irradiation". Millimeter wave scanners emit non-ionizing radiation, but back-scatter Xray machines emit more dangerous ionizing radiation.
But back-scatter doesn't need to pass through the matter, so back-scatter doesn't emit very much. Xray standards require that "no individual scanned received an effective dose in excess of 0.25 mSv in any 12-month period", and the standard "defines a general-use x-ray screening system as one that delivers less than 1/1000 of this dose per screening (0.25 µSv)".
Putting this in context, airplanes fly above the atmosphere which shields us from natural solar radiation and cosmic rays. In an average airplane flight, passengers receive anywhere from 0.24-0.66 mrem/hr. Even if you compare the worst case scanning machine (ionizing back-scatter xray) to the best-case airplane flight (Xinjiang Airlines 0.238 mrem/hr) the radiation you receive from TSA scanners is equivalent to 6 minutes of flying time. And even that is making a mountain out of a molehill. Commercial pilots who fly thousands of hours a year do not die from increased exposure.
But even if you don't fly you're still not "safe" from "radiation issues". Natural background radiation is about 2.4 mSv/yr, or 0.274 µSv/hr. The radiation you receive from TSA scanners is equivalent to sitting around your house for a little less than an hour.
Maybe I made a mistake with my math here - when we're talking about very small numbers it's easy to misplace a few zeroes - but if these figures are correct I couldn't possibly be less concerned about "mandatory TSA radiation".
But back-scatter doesn't need to pass through the matter, so back-scatter doesn't emit very much. Xray standards require that "no individual scanned received an effective dose in excess of 0.25 mSv in any 12-month period", and the standard "defines a general-use x-ray screening system as one that delivers less than 1/1000 of this dose per screening (0.25 µSv)".
Putting this in context, airplanes fly above the atmosphere which shields us from natural solar radiation and cosmic rays. In an average airplane flight, passengers receive anywhere from 0.24-0.66 mrem/hr. Even if you compare the worst case scanning machine (ionizing back-scatter xray) to the best-case airplane flight (Xinjiang Airlines 0.238 mrem/hr) the radiation you receive from TSA scanners is equivalent to 6 minutes of flying time. And even that is making a mountain out of a molehill. Commercial pilots who fly thousands of hours a year do not die from increased exposure.
But even if you don't fly you're still not "safe" from "radiation issues". Natural background radiation is about 2.4 mSv/yr, or 0.274 µSv/hr. The radiation you receive from TSA scanners is equivalent to sitting around your house for a little less than an hour.
Maybe I made a mistake with my math here - when we're talking about very small numbers it's easy to misplace a few zeroes - but if these figures are correct I couldn't possibly be less concerned about "mandatory TSA radiation".