On my ski patrol there is a professor at Univ. of Las Vegas, Nevada who teaches medical imageing.

He told me that the "backscatter" radiation used in airport security scanning is actually a bit MORE radiation than a chest X-ray!! There are scientific papers on this that the Feds would rather you don't read.

My wife and I have never submitted to a "backscatter" x-ray scan, always choosing the more time-consuming pat down. I did this before my patroller friend informed me of the danger B/C I don't want any additional radiation exposure. I prefer mine naturally, at high altitudes, if I'm going to get any at all.

Edited by Danepacker on 11/10/2012 13:56:19 MST.

As a guy that's been CT-scanned 14 times and X-rayed more than 10 times in a 2 year period, I prefer to stay away from X-rays... and I thought I just read how the TSA was now taking those machines back out of airports because they'd come up with a lower-zap-level alternative. (?)

Yeah. I object to these for a myriad of reasons, and health is one of them. I suffer from thyroid disease and am supposed to avoid exposure to radiation, and both my parents had cancer. My dad died of thyroid cancer, my mom is a breast cancer survivor. I have every reason to avoid any unnecessary radiation. I haven't flown in 3 years so have never had to go through one of these machines, but I do have to fly in December and I do plan to opt out and ask for the pat down instead. They can try to inconvenience me as much as they want...I always allow 2 hours to pass security anyway.

I always get the pat down, the scanners are only there as an excuse to get a government contract and profit. Public safety has nothing to do with it beyond being part of the political theater to "look" like the government is doing something. I have no problem with normal airport metal detectors and chemical sniffers as they are a reasonable compromise between security and my constitutional rights against unwarranted searches all while retaining most of my dignity. The Rapid-scanners are a step too far and i make them violate my rights face to face if they want to do it.
Why won't they just let me through the normal metal detectors when I ask? Others do and sometimes I get to also. Its obvious the physical pat downs are a punishment for not complying with being institutionalized and threatening rapid-scanners profits.

I always get to the airport 2 hours early, you never never know what could cause a delay, its much safer that way.

"the scanners are only there as an excuse to get a government contract and profit"

I've heard them called the "Michael Chertoff porno scanners"

He worked for "Homeland Security" that adopted the scanners, then worked for the scanner company to make the big bucks.