"Naked" X-Ray Scans At The Airport.. Your Thoughts?

[ICF]

Holy cow!! I had no idea how much "naked" the "naked X-ray scan" referred to!! I guess I should've assumed it but now I'm really freaked out!

It is still not something that can be traced back to you.....nobody would see that pic and go, Oh that's 'mariolatry' there......

 

[eliza61]

What does it show besides solids? Every bulge, every roll, and cup sizes for both men and women.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/brainiac/airport_xray_scanner.jpg

http://justgetthere.us/blog/uploads/TSA-body-scanner.jpg

http://notesfromthebartender.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/rapi_scan_lg.jpg

The fact that you can see the bones in the man's legs in the last photo makes me wonder about the cumulative health effects of these devices on the human body. We may find out in 20 or 30 years that we killed way more people than we saved with these intrusive things. And the sad thing is that we did it to ourselves because of our own irrational fears.
Oh, and for those who say that no images of people would be recorded to get out on the internet, please note where I got these images.

HOGWASH!!

Exactly. We're talking about depriving American citizens of their civil right to be able to choose who gets to see them naked; a very basic right. Not only that, if I were a frequent flyer who went through this device once or twice a week for years, I'd have to wonder what that kind of radiation was doing to my body in the long run.

But I guess as long as the fearful sheeple (who probably don't fly very often at all) can feel safe, it's supposed to be worth it? At least until the next "terrorist attack" gets blasted all over their TV screen and instructs them to start panicking about the safety of ....oh I don't know, dog sled races in Wisconsin, elevator bombs in Bismarck, ND or the infamous Fourth of July Parade or Halloween attacks that will happen because "they hate us for our freedom".

LOL Talk about irrational fear. It's very simple. Don't want to be scanned, don't fly or request a hand search. No one is being "forced" to fly and how many people have been killed from your microwave exposure?

Instruments used in airport security checks use much lower radiation dosage than the hospital and medical instrurments. In Heathrow airport in London, this is what was studied.

According to the American National Standards Institute, in its standard N43.17-2002 "Radiation Safety for Personnel Security Screening Systems Using X-Rays," the maximum effective dose an individual could receive when walking through this scanner is 0.01 millirem (a unit of radiation dose commonly abbreviated mrem). For some perspective on the level of this dose, the annual effective dose each of us receives from background radiation is about 360 mrem; the effective dose from one chest x ray is about 10 mrem.

So you can pass through one of this machines 360 times before you would even begin to come close to the doses found in nature.

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/effectsandsecurityscreening.html

So are you suggesting that these things are going to cause cancer in 20 - 30 years?

 

[Carly_Roach]

Holy cow!! I had no idea how much "naked" the "naked X-ray scan" referred to!! I guess I should've assumed it but now I'm really freaked out!

Yeah. Although I think it's pretty cool that you can see the killer abs on the woman in the middle picture. Now that's what I want to look like! Unfortunately, I'd probably be relegated to the "Fatties of America" website.

As for the "privilege" of flying, it's public transportation. I wouldn't want someone taking naked photos of me just so I could use the bus or the L, either.

 

[eliza61]

Here is some information on Pregnancy and airport security checks.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5415456_pregnancy-prolonged-exposure-metal-detectors.html

 

[eliza61]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34630097/ns/us_news-airliner_attack/

 

[FireDancer]

As for the "privilege" of flying, it's public transportation. I wouldn't want someone taking naked photos of me just so I could use the bus or the L, either.

No, it is private transportation. Airlines are publicly traded but are not public transportation. A city bus is public transportation, a Greyhound is private transportation.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The fact that you can see the bones in the man's legs in the last photo makes me wonder about the cumulative health effects of these devices on the human body. We may find out in 20 or 30 years that we killed way more people than we saved with these intrusive things.

Well, considering death is inevitable... I broke my hip a few years ago. I spent six hours in the ER, and was x-rayed five different times. If any x-ray machine or scanner is gonna kill me sooner, THAT'S going to be the reason - not the minimal radiation I'll get from being scanned in the airport.

 

[kaytieeldr]

LOL Talk about irrational fear. It's very simple. Don't want to be scanned, don't fly or request a hand search.

True. I get hand-searched or patted down about half the times I fly. Now, while I'd rather have the hot-looking 25 year old male TSA Agent do it, I settle for/agree to whomever is assigned to pat me down.

It's just one of the conditions of air travel. Big deal. If they want to scan me instead, big deal. I chose to fly.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Here's my thought, FWIW: Dead people don't have rights.

 

[DawnCt1]

No, but the point is that we already draw lines about how far we should go. So the "we should do everything we can" approach just isn't realistic.

Absolutely right. My understanding is that the Israelis (who have a bit of experience with this sort of thing) have always relied more on intel and observation than on machine screening.

The Israelis look for bombers, not bombs.

 

[TDC Nala]

At least in the Netherlands at this point, it seems one has the choice of either go through the "nekkid scanner," or don't fly.

US airlines aren't public transportation - they're not operated by the government. The government regulates airlines but doesn't operate them. They're also different from trains or subways - when you get on a plane, you don't get off until the plane reaches its destination, and all passengers are filtered through an airport. Trains and subways make frequent stops at which they discharge some passengers and take on new ones.

 

[DawnCt1]

At least in the Netherlands at this point, it seems one has the choice of either go through the "nekkid scanner," or don't fly.

DH ALWAYS sets off the magnatrometer. He had a hip replacement at a young age. Flying back from Fla he had a choice between the body scan or being wanded and patted. He opted for the much faster, more efficient body scan. Took way less time and he was in and out of it in a couple of minutes.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Whatever it takes to make us safe~

 

[bicker]

Nothing will make us safe... but some things will make us safer.

 

[DancingBear]

Nothing will make us safe... but some things will make us safer.

So should we go for the shock bracelets?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/10/bracelet-sends-shock-waves-through-blogosphere/

 

[Octoberbride03]

Long overdue. The technology is there, it works, use it.

It doesn't work. It does in the obvious sense but honestly, we're going the wrong route on security. There was a guy on CNN this morning who used to run security for Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. This IS the guy I want running the US Airports. His opinion is that the only way to stop terrorists in airports is to concentrate on their BEHAVIOR. There's a specific behavioral profile that most terrorists fit and EVERY employee in the airports can be trained to spot it.

Just remember that the bomb made it through a regular Xray. They can make them completely free of metal and magnetic components and they will come up with something to get past this scanner too.

Its time to STOP relying on technology.

And no I don't plan on flying any year soon. Driving to FL was a nice trip. If I decide to go out to CA then I'll plan far enough in advance to use AMTRAK.

 

[Free4Life11]

Flew home today and I am convinced these scanners will just slow down the security lines even more and make it more of a PITA than it already is. Then again maybe with the scanners we won't have to take off our shoes, belt, watch, jewely, cell phone out of pocket, etc.?? If that's the case they could actually speed it up....

 

[Octoberbride03]

The Israelis look for bombers, not bombs.

And it works.

 

[Free4Life11]

And no I don't plan on flying any year soon. Driving to FL was a nice trip. If I decide to go out to CA then I'll plan far enough in advance to use AMTRAK.

Yikes. I'll never forget how I walked onto the California Zephyr in Lincoln, NE, dropped my bag off on the bottom floor, and walked upstairs to find a seat. Could have been packed with explosives. Not a bit of security whatsoever...maybe times have changed?

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

And no I don't plan on flying any year soon. Driving to FL was a nice trip. If I decide to go out to CA then I'll plan far enough in advance to use AMTRAK.

Amtrak is the last way I would travel, there is no security in place at all.