New full body security scanners at airports around the country have been met with mixed emotions. Some flyers are so upset with the scanners they plan to protest by refusing to use them on one of the busiest travel days of the year.http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/111610-travelers-mixed-on-airport-scanner-protest
In fact, protesters plan to opt out of the body scanners at airports nationwide and thereby delay and disrupt air traffic on the day before Thanksgiving.
Putting aside the validity of any fourth amendment concerns, and any false modesty or body image problems of the protesters, it should be obvious that you don't increase public support for your cause by inconveniencing travelers trying to get home for Thanksgiving.
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Let me state first that I a B.S. and M.S. in Nuclear Engineering, which includes courses in radiation biology, and experience using x-ray machines and working with constrolled radiation sources. It may seem at first glance that these scanners pose no more health risk than a regular x-ray or the cosmic radiation dose you get from flying. However, these scanners uses low energy x-rays, which may seem safer, but what that actually means is that most of the radiation dose is concentrated onto your skin. Normal medical x-rays and the cosmic radiation you get from flying spread the dose out over your whole body, which has much lower health risks than receiving the entire dose on a single organ (such as the skin). If you have not read the letter written by UCSF scientists, the link here is provided a the end of my "rant". Their concerns have scientific merit, and the fact is that there is not enough substantial medical data to claim that these scanners are safe. Look at the scientific facts and decide for yourself if you want a full body scan at the airport. Don't risk your health just to make the TSA happy.
http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdf
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