You may think that the airport is running you through an X-Ray already. But it is not. The metal detection used on humans at the airport is negligible in terms of its impact on humans. But now, a plan to screen passengers with X-Ray in airports. “As part of its antiterrorism effort, the federal government is considering a plan to install X-ray machines in airports to scan outgoing passengers. The technology is used in prisons and by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to search for drugs, illegal weapons and contraban,” writes the LA Times. My favorite quote:
And the fact that radiation experts have deemed the idea safe does not convince George J. Annas, chairman of the department of health law, bioethics and human rights at the Boston University School of Public Health. “Physicists love radiation,” he said. Low doses? “They always say that.”
Indeed. Just ask the sheep in Hanford, Washington.
Labels: air travel, anti-terrorism, George Annas, physicists love radiation, x-rays