Congress made the right choice on airport scanners for the wrong reason.

[Lionel Mandrake]

The following item was tucked away on page A10 of today's LA Times:

TSA's 'nude' body scanning is history

By HUGO MARTIN — Los Angeles Times

The "nude scanners" are gone.

The full-body scanners that used X-rays to create what look like nude images of passengers have been packed away and removed from airports across the country. The 250 or so machines were removed about two weeks ago, before the June 1 deadline set by Congress. ...

The TSA now relies solely on millimeter-wave scanners, which previously generated similar nude images but have been upgraded to portray a generic figure on which they point out objects concealed on travelers' bodies. The scanner is made by L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. of New York.

The X-ray scanners made by Rapiscan Systems in Torrance were removed after Congress required all airport scanners to use privacy-protecting software, such as the technology used by L-3. Rapiscan did not create the software for its X-ray scanners.

Nowhere in this article is it mentioned that X-rays are dangerous in a way that millimeter waves are not. X-rays and millimeter waves are very far apart in the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation.



As you can see from this figure,

1. X-rays have higher frequencies and smaller wavelengths than Ultra-Violet (UV). Like UV, X-rays are ionizing radiation and hence can cause cancer. Sunscreen protects you from the solar UV rays that cause sunburn and skin cancer. Nothing you take to the airport can protect you from X-rays. In the past you had to trust Rapiscan and the TSA not to give you too big a dose of X-rays. They say the dose is negligible, but do you trust them? I don't.

2. Millimeter waves are way below the visible part of the sptctrum shown above. They are called millimeter waves because the wavelength is on the order of 1 mm, as shown in the figure. As far as anyone knows, this form of radiation is harmless. Its frequency is way below that of ultraviolet light, which has the lowest frequency that can ionize molecules and thereby cause cancer.

The decision to remove Rapiscan scanners was made for what I consider a trivial reason - privacy issues - and can easily be reversed if Rapiscan changes their software to prevent TSA operators from viewing images that look like nude bodies. How stupid would that be?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Being the Puritan nation that we are, most people are worried about privacy rather than radiation.

I agree that radiation is a greater concern.

I'm not sure what you mean by "stupid." Can you explain?

For whatever reason, I'm thrilled that the old machines are gone.

[Lionel Mandrake]

2. I wasn't terribly clear about that.

What I meant was, it would be stupid of Congress to reinstate Rapiscan scanners if and when they have the kinds of software modifications that Puritans would approve of.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Thanks for clarifying.

Indeed, it would be stupid of Congress to do that. I really don't expect that they will.....though you can never be completely sure...

[Lionel Mandrake]

4. Never underestimate the power of Congress

to do something unbelievably stupid.



These are the folks who regularly approve bloated "Defense" budgets and sign off on every war that any President wants to wage.

[Lionel Mandrake]

5. kick