Sparky, how can you make such a claim? Simple physics, the ionizing radiation emitted by the airport and courthouse whole body scanners is in the range of 60,000 to 105,000 electron volts (ev) or 60 to 100 kilovolt peak (KVP).  Back-scatter x-ray radiation is about 20,000 to 30,000 times more energetic than that of skin cancer causing UVA/B/C (ultra violet) of 3-ev or 0.003 KVP used by, tanning beds now listed among top cancer risks USA Today[1][2].   Body scanner radiation 3-5 times more energetic than the soft x-rays from the old cathode ray TV and we are told to stand in it?? 

New x-ray airport imaging equipment, also known as back-scatter/whole body scanners, use ultra high energy short wavelength-electromagnetic radiation to perform the intrusive digital strip search. This high energy radiation is a more penetrating version of UV (ultra violet) which is well known to cause skin cancer or melanoma. UV is radiation just beyond viable light and has energy of about 3 ev or electron volts. UV light is found in sunlight and is emitted by electric arcs and specialized lights such as black lights. Technically classified as non-ionizing radiation, it can cause chemical reactions, and causes many substances to glow or fluoresce. Most people are aware of the effects of UV through the painful condition of sunburn, but the UV spectrum has many other effects, both beneficial and damaging, to human health.

The ionizing radiation emitted by the whole body scanners is in the range of 60,000 to 100,000 eV or 60 to 100 kilovolt peak (KVP). KVP refers to the amount of penetration an X-ray makes. The higher the KVP, the further the X-ray penetrates. Remember the old cathode ray TV? It only operated at 20,000 ev and we were warned not to sit too close. The body scanner radiation is 3-5 times more energetic and we are told to stand in it?? Back-scatter radiation is about 20,000 to 30,000 times more energetic than that of carcinogenic UV.  When we say you get a deep tan we mean it, if the area was dark you would glow but not in the way you want.  Our products incorporate a unique radiation indicating layer that will  fluoresce under short wavelength radiation.    X-ray unlike the skin cancer causing UVA and UVB, will scramble your DNA on the skin plus more radio sensitive tissues like the breast, testicles, ovaries and thyroid.

Simple logic and knowledge of basic biology would tell you illuminating you with such high energy radiation would not be good. This is confirmed by Dr. David Brenner, head of Columbia University’s center for radiological research[3].  His research shows that the scanners will likely contribute to an increase in a common type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma which affects the head and neck. The typical back-scatter machine switches between 60,000 and 100,000 eV to illuminate you with two energies. Both pass through your clothing and through your body, though we are assured that the radiation does not pass through you. This is simply false as dental x-rays are only about 45,000 eV and a chest x-ray is typically 80,000 eV and both easily pass through the body.

The back-scatter x-ray is like a film or digital camera which “looks” at the light reflected from your body, where as the typical dental or medical x-ray is a transmission image. How much an item reflects or scatters x-rays is proportional to it's atomic weight or in the industry referred to as “Z”. The ratio of the high-energy and lower-energy reflections is used to generate the detailed back-scatter images. Lighter elements such as carbon have a low Z and metals have a high Z.

Security Area Is Radioactive

Nearby baggage scanners work like a powerful dual-energy chest x-ray machine, so they can penetrate many materials. The machines used in airports usually is based on a dual-energy X-ray system typically in the range of 140 to 160 kilovolt peak (KVP). What is not talked about is that baggage scanners “leak” very high energy radiation. Standing in line, working around this equipment, working in the secure area, if you're frequent flier, you receive your back-scatter dose plus some from the persons in-front of you, plus the baggage scanner leakage.

Security Staff and Flight Crew Radiation Workers

The entire security area is “warm” years ago security personnel were issued dosimeters but, have been removed part of don't look don't tell. The dose all adds up, there is no safe dose of radiation. Organs such as the thyroid, breast and testicles are particularly radio sensitive. “If there are increases in cancers as a result of irradiation of children, they would most likely appear some decades in the future. It would be prudent not to scan the head and neck,” added Brenner.

We offer products to protect the most sensitive tissues from energies used by security, dental and medical imaging equipment.

Jeff Buske Inventor Electrical  Engineer Sparky@ RockyflatsGear.com

www.RockyFlatsGear.com

Image Source: Virtual Imaging (Cannon Ltd)

[1] Tanning beds now listed among top cancer risks USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-07-28-tanning-cancer_N.htm

[2] Tanning devices listed as carcinogenic

http://www.watoday.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/tanning-devices-listed-as-carcinogenic-20090730-e205.html

[3] Airport body scanners 'could give you cancer'

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7862265/Airport-body-scanners-could-give-you-cancer.html