If the TSA scanners are using radiation, is there a qualified-technician on duty?

[KansDem]

I worked in a hospital x-ray department. The only staff to work the x-ray equipment were the radiologists and x-ray techs. Both groups were highly qualified with years of education and experience.

Should we assume the operators of these new scanners have the same education and experience?

Are they licensed and certified to use such machines that emit x-rays and radiation?

:shrug:

[Tippy]

1. No qualified techs in using this equipment in airports

As a matter of fact some using X-Ray equipment in hospitals are not qualified either. My son flew from Nashville to Baltimore last week he said he, thought some from TSA had been convicts in the past...he saw a lot of jailhouse tattos, he has never been in jail but we do have a tatto artist in the family and son was told how to tell jail house tatto from others.

[KansDem]

5. Strange...

As a matter of fact some using X-Ray equipment in hospitals are not qualified either.

Perhaps times have changed. I worked from 1976 to 1979. The techs had a two-year degrees and one-year of internship, and were certified. The radiologists were all MDs and certified in x-ray technology.

The equipment was all Siemens and there were techs on call to make certain the machines were running properly.

Radiation is nothing to fool around with, and I wonder about the safety of these TSA machines and the experience of those running them...

[Tippy]

6. My husband is cretified and over the years many who worked with him

had very little training..as a matter of fact the hospital where he works now has one she is a lab tech...she works unsupervised...My guess is they were shown how to run the equipment and turned loose

[dgibby]

8. Times have definitely changed alright,

your x-ray, MRI, CT scan might be being read by someone in India.

[givemebackmycountry]

2. KD - that's a good question and a good post.

But I have to tell you this...

Your Sig line is the absolute best.
It stopped me cold.
Awesome...

[frazzled]

3. Of the half of scanners that use x-ray, it's backscatter ...

which is a form of ionizing radiation. That is, reflects off objects. It doesn't go through them like medical x-ray machines.

You would have to go through 1000 times in one year to reach the maximum yearly dose. By law, the machines can deliver no larger a dose than you would naturally receive in 4 minutes of flying time. (Yes, when you're up in the air at high altitudes, you are being exposed to radiation).

The Health Physics Society (HPS) reports that a person undergoing a backscatter scan receives approximately 0.05 μSv (or 0.005 mrems) of radiation; American Science and Engineering Inc. reports 0.09 μSv (0.009 mrems). At the high altitudes typical of commercial flights, naturally occurring cosmic radiation is considerably higher than at ground level. The radiation dose for a six hour flight is 20 μSv (2 mrems) - 200 to 400 times larger than a backscatter scan.

"A passenger would need to be scanned using a backscatter scanner, from both the front and the back, about 200,000 times to receive the amount of radiation equal to one typical CT scan," said Dr. Andrew J. Einstein, director of cardiac CT research at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "Another way to look at this is that if you were scanned with a backscatter scanner every day of your life, you would still only receive a tenth of the dose of a typical CT scan," he said. By comparison, the amount of radiation from a backscatter scanner is equivalent to about 10 minutes of natural background radiation in the United States, Einstein said. "I believe that the general public has nothing to worry about in terms of the radiation from airline scanning," he added.

P.S. Half of the machines being used in airports are not backscatter machines at all, but millimeter wave scanners.

[LisaL]

9. Hah.

Look at this: even professor who believes machines aren't harmful refused to go through one.
Why should I?
"Even though Rez thinks the machines aren't harmful, he refused to go through the body scanner during a recent trip. That's because the professor worries about how these machines are operated and maintained -- a mechanical failure could expose passengers to dangerous levels of radiation."
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/health/body-scanners-radiation-11-19-2010

[frazzled]

16. my fox phoenix?

It makes me so sad to see DUers falling like flies for this fear-mongering media nonsense, especially from a serious source like "my fox phoenix." I thought we were supposed to be the reality-based community. Guess not.
"
Why doesn't your professor refuse to fly in the plane? Because there's a way higher chance he'll die in a crash than from the radiation (or a terrorist). Your professor took the pat down. Fine for him. No biggie.

[LibDemAlways]

4. Is this a rhetorical question? Have you seen the caliber of

individual working security at the airport? It's a safe bet they have not undergone any sort of training in the use of the equipment that emits radiation. There is no oversight for TSA.

[dgibby]

7. Also begs the question of who's maintaining the machines,

and hkow often they're inspected.

[customerserviceguy]

10. An hourly radiation check

would not be too often. Asking for a daily one, especially that could be conducted at the night hours, is not asking for the freaking moon.

[LisaL]

11. I very much doubt these machines will be inspected hourly or daily.

[customerserviceguy]

12. Is it too much to require?

Politicians are looking for a way to deal with this issue, without compromising public 'safety'. This would give them a way to demostrate that, while not opening themselves to charges that they're soft on terrorism.

[LisaL]

15. Not at all. But I very much doubt TSA plans to inspect these

machines daily. So why should I get into one of these machines?

[Justitia]

13. TSA says they will be inspected ONCE PER YEAR ("annually" in their words) -eom

[customerserviceguy]

14. That's total bullshit

It shouldn't be too expensive or difficult to do a radiation level check every night, when nobody's in the airport.

[Justitia]

17. agreed. My jaw dropped on that one. -eom

[Fumesucker]

18. It is impossible for these machines to malfunction and deliver an increased dose of radiation..

Oh, and BTW, I have a great deal on some pre-owned bridge property, small unmarked bills only please..