Do “backscatter” X-ray systems pose a risk to frequent fliers?
February 27, 2007 If you were pulled out of line at an airport security checkpoint and asked to choose between a pat-down and a very revealing X-ray , which would you choose? In a three-month trial that began in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on February 23, 2007, most passengers chose the X-ray, known as the Z Backscatter X-ray system. Backscatter technology can detect objects that regular X-ray scanners and metal detectors can’t pick up very well, like ceramic knives, drugs and liquid explosives . This is the technology that caused a privacy uproar when it was first revealed as a possible addition to airport security. The backscatter X-ray scanner sees through clothes and is capable of producing photo-quality views of its subject. So in theory, passengers selected for additional screening with the backscatter system could be subjecting themselves to a peep show by airport employees. The backscatter system works differently than the usual X-ray scanners that check out yo
Related Questions
- Which organisations have responsibility for assuring that manufacturers produce cabinet x-ray systems that do not pose a radiation safety hazard?
- Which agency has responsibility for assuring that manufacturers produce cabinet x-ray systems that do not pose a radiation safety hazard?
- Do "backscatter" X-ray systems pose a risk to frequent fliers?
