The Venture 17 Division Of Education
Shopping Cart
Your Cart is Empty
Quantity:
Subtotal
Taxes
Shipping
Total
THE CONSERVATORY OF MEDICAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
XVII
THE SEARCHLIGHT MESSENGER
THE SEARCHLIGHT MESSENGER
Blog
Those TSA Scanners
| Posted on June 8, 2011 at 6:13 PM |
For those of you who need a review, keep in mind that the DNA molecule, although very strong when all of the base pair “rungs of the ladder” are intact, they are connected only by hydrogen bonding, which is a weak molecular glue that can be trashed easily by chemicals and of course, totally demolished by radiation, resulting in mutations and cancer. The debate over these scanning technologies in the news media has centered primarily on traveler privacy issues related to the images produced. The debate has focused only secondarily on the safety of the traveling public exposed to such scans and on the effectiveness of these technologies in detection.I believe issues of traveler privacy and machine effectiveness are best discussed in other venues or relative blogs. As a physician, I address concerns related to the safety of scanner radiation. Because the Department of Homeland Security views the body scanner issue to be a sensitive matter of national security, I anticipate that there is some information concerning these technologies that is not available to us. When I teach radiology, one of the first things covered in class is the history of x-rays. After Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895, it did not take long for this technology to reach medical use. By mid 1896, Dartmouth Medical School already had a working x-ray imaging device, however, what is not widely known, is that thousands of doctors, nurses, patients, and people in the waiting rooms died of radiation exposure over the next 30 years because of the novelty, lack of understanding of the danger, and of course, ignorance of health consequences and the need for shielding. From the available literature reviewed, I found that radiation dosing from a single backscatter scan is reported as ranging from 0.005 millirem to 0.009 millirem (A rem is an abbreviation for “roentgen equivalent man”, which is a measure of ambient radiation exposure to a man in a particular environment). By comparison,a passenger on a cross-country flight receives approximately3 millirem of radiation, and the dose from a single chest radiograph is 10 millirem. Backscatter systems have not proven to be harmful,according to several authorities, including the TSA, the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, the National Institute of Standards and Technology,The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University, the United Kingdom's Health Protection Agency, and the American College of Radiology. The American College of Radiology has reported that "a traveler would require more than 1,000 backscatter scans in a year to reach the effective dose equal to one standard chest x-ray." There are 3 backscatter models that are currently manufactured for security screening. American Science and Engineering Inc of Billerica, Massachusetts, produces the SmartCheck; Rapiscan Systems of the United Kingdom produces the Secure 1000; andTek84 Engineering Group of San Diego, California, produces the Ait84. Of these devices, Rapiscan Systems' Secure 1000 is the most commonly used. In an interview published in the Los Angeles Times in November 2010, Peter Kant, Rapiscan Systems' executive vice president of global government affairs, stated that his company produced 211 of the 385 image scanners then in use at the68 airports in which such machines had been deployed. (According to the TSA Web site, there were 486 image scanners at 78 airports as of January 2011). Based on the previously cited report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, it appears that Rapiscan Systems' Secure 1000 has been designed with appropriate safeguards for widespread deployment. Despite the published reports that support the safety of backscatter technology, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco have recently raised questions about how radiation exposures were calculated in the reports—raising doubts about the accuracy of the dose-per-scan data.These scientific investigators have also raised questions regarding whether backscatter scanning would pose an added health risk for individuals who are genetically susceptible to particular cancers, for instance, those individuals with oncogenes such as the Philadelphia Chromosome. These safety issues require further research. Moreover, I have been unable to find any reports of backscatter technologies being subjected to large-scale clinical outcomes studies or other medical testing with either human or animal subjects. Quite simply, we are in such a hurry to protect ourselves, we are not protecting ourselves from ourselves. As previously noted, questions regarding the effectiveness of scanner technologies are best left to other venues. Nevertheless,all medical decisions involve considerations of risk vs benefit.If a procedure carries a potential risk (such as radiation exposure)and if the procedure's benefits are in question, such facts would be important to know in making medical decisions, including the decision on whether an individual agrees to be scanned. In April 2010, The Vancouver Sun published a revealing interview with Rafi Sela, former chief security officer at the Israel Airport Authority and a 30-year veteran in airport security and defense technology who helped design security measures at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Mr Sela was quoted as saying,"I don't know why everybody is running to buy these expensive and useless ‘full-body scanner machines’. I can overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to bring down a Boeing747.... That's why we haven't put them in our airport." In regard to millimeter wave technology, Ben Wallace, a member of the British Parliament who worked on millimeter wave scanners for the defense research organization QinetiQ, was quoted as saying, "The millimeter wave technology is harmless, quick and can be deployed overtly or covertly. But it cannot detect chemicals or light plastics." This limitation could prove to be a serious obstacle in the widespread adoption of millimeter wave technology in airport security. Of course, the adoption by terrorists of alternative strategies designed to bypass both backscatter and millimeter wave machines, such as bodypacking, could render both types of scanners irrelevant.Although concerns about the effectiveness of these devices may one day make the issue of safety mute, such questions persist today. In summary, given the current state of scientific knowledge, backscatter radiation scans maybe safe, with appropriate built-in safeguards to allow these machines to be deployed for everyday use by appropriately trained personnel. However, large-scale clinical testing of these devices has not yet been performed, and there are legitimate questions concerning the effectiveness of these machines in accomplishing the task for which they were designed. Therefore, using the logic of the risk-benefit ratio, it might be prudent to obtain more information on clinical exposure and more confirmation of device effectiveness before exposing large segments of the population to these full-body scanners and the radiation they produce. Dr. Counce |
Categories: Medical Advise
Post a Comment
Oops!
The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again.
477 Comments
Reply
Scotch Plains NJ Locksmith
9:09 AM on December 24, 2012
Hi just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren't loading properly. I'm not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I've tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same results.
Reply
Milford CT Locksmith
10:38 AM on December 26, 2012
TSA scanner is a very a advanced scanner that creates an image of a person's naked body through without removing their clothes or making physical contact.they are mainly used at airports and train stations.
Reply
Buy Xeloda Online
7:04 AM on August 26, 2013
You've shared a terrific topic. Thanks for this wonderful sharing and want to know more detail so please continue...
Reply
replica rolex
5:57 AM on October 11, 2013
I so agree. What matters is where you end up. Thank you for sharing your story
Reply
radiology fellowships
7:07 AM on June 21, 2015
Interesting information.The details plus Sensitivity, Specificity ALONG WITH many That is Decent in order to Reveal information about Predictive Values the particular theme serves to be able to educate people throughout the daily life, thanks in order to people like a person we have extra knowledge with this keys to press issue.
Reply
strony internetowe
2:03 PM on September 12, 2015
the placement which is to be harmonized on the demands together with anticipations of the people comfortable and not price the particular pressure, trying other sorts of options
Reply
ggdb
1:29 PM on August 25, 2021
I intended to write you one bit of note to help thank you very much yet again for those awesome solutions you've contributed on this website. It was certainly particularly generous with you to convey openly all a lot of folks might have sold as an ebook to make some profit for themselves, specifically now that you might have tried it in the event you desired. The smart ideas additionally worked like the easy way to fully grasp many people have the same eagerness really like my personal own to see more and more when considering this condition. I am certain there are lots of more fun situations in the future for people who find out your website.
ggdb http://www.golden-gooses.com
ggdb http://www.golden-gooses.com
Reply
yeezy
1:30 PM on August 25, 2021
Thanks for your whole labor on this web site. Debby loves going through investigation and it's obvious why. Many of us learn all regarding the compelling way you render very important information through your blog and encourage response from visitors on the matter then my daughter is certainly understanding a whole lot. Have fun with the rest of the new year. Your carrying out a wonderful job.
yeezy http://www.yeezy350s.com
yeezy http://www.yeezy350s.com
Reply
kd shoes
1:30 PM on August 25, 2021
I and my friends appeared to be digesting the excellent advice found on your site and so quickly came up with an awful feeling I had not thanked the site owner for them. All of the ladies happened to be absolutely excited to learn them and already have absolutely been loving those things. Thank you for simply being considerably kind and then for making a choice on these kinds of high-quality useful guides most people are really desperate to understand about. Our honest apologies for not expressing appreciation to sooner.
kd shoes http://www.kd-shoes.us
kd shoes http://www.kd-shoes.us
Reply
yeezy
1:32 PM on August 25, 2021
I want to express thanks to this writer just for bailing me out of this particular crisis. After checking throughout the online world and obtaining strategies that were not productive, I assumed my life was over. Being alive devoid of the approaches to the issues you've fixed all through the report is a crucial case, and the ones which might have negatively damaged my career if I hadn't discovered your web blog. Your primary understanding and kindness in taking care of a lot of things was precious. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't encountered such a step like this. I can also at this point look ahead to my future. Thanks for your time very much for the professional and effective help. I will not think twice to propose the website to any person who wants and needs counselling about this situation.
yeezy http://www.yeezy-sneakers.us
yeezy http://www.yeezy-sneakers.us
Reply
curry 7
1:33 PM on August 25, 2021
I am also writing to let you be aware of of the useful encounter my girl went through going through your web page. She picked up too many issues, which included how it is like to have an ideal helping style to make certain people easily learn about chosen extremely tough issues. You actually did more than our expectations. Thanks for delivering the warm and friendly, dependable, informative and even easy tips on that topic to Tanya.
curry 7 http://www.curry7.us
curry 7 http://www.curry7.us
Reply
air jordan
3:51 PM on August 26, 2021
I am just commenting to make you know what a notable encounter my wife's girl developed using your webblog. She picked up lots of things, not to mention what it's like to have an awesome coaching mindset to have the others with ease thoroughly grasp various problematic things. You truly did more than my expectations. Thank you for showing such valuable, healthy, explanatory and even unique guidance on your topic to Jane.
air jordan http://www.jordanshoes.us
air jordan http://www.jordanshoes.us
Reply
kevin durant
3:52 PM on August 26, 2021
I must show some appreciation to you for bailing me out of this situation. As a result of researching throughout the internet and finding advice that were not pleasant, I was thinking my life was done. Being alive minus the answers to the problems you've fixed through your good report is a critical case, as well as those that would have in a wrong way affected my career if I hadn't encountered your web blog. Your main expertise and kindness in dealing with all the things was very helpful. I'm not sure what I would've done if I hadn't come across such a stuff like this. I can also at this moment look forward to my future. Thanks for your time so much for this reliable and result oriented help. I won't hesitate to refer your blog to anybody who wants and needs counselling about this subject matter.
kevin durant http://www.kevindurantshoes.us.com
kevin durant http://www.kevindurantshoes.us.com
Reply
moncler coat
3:52 PM on August 26, 2021
I definitely wanted to type a quick comment in order to say thanks to you for the awesome facts you are giving on this website. My particularly long internet look up has now been compensated with brilliant concept to write about with my friends. I 'd believe that many of us website visitors actually are rather lucky to dwell in a remarkable community with very many brilliant people with very beneficial suggestions. I feel quite lucky to have used the webpages and look forward to many more brilliant minutes reading here. Thanks a lot once more for a lot of things.
moncler coat http://www.monclercoat.us.com
moncler coat http://www.monclercoat.us.com
Reply
supreme clothing
3:52 PM on August 26, 2021
I and my friends ended up checking out the great ideas located on your web site while instantly I got a horrible feeling I never thanked the web site owner for those strategies. These guys had been consequently warmed to learn all of them and already have very much been enjoying those things. We appreciate you really being really kind as well as for making a decision on some decent tips millions of individuals are really eager to learn about. My sincere regret for not expressing appreciation to you sooner.
supreme clothing http://www.supremenewyork.us.com
supreme clothing http://www.supremenewyork.us.com
Reply
kd 10
3:53 PM on August 26, 2021
I as well as my buddies were actually following the best recommendations on the website while quickly developed a terrible feeling I never expressed respect to you for those secrets. All the boys are actually consequently very interested to read through all of them and already have definitely been taking pleasure in them. Thanks for really being very helpful and then for settling on variety of cool subject areas most people are really desperate to discover. My honest apologies for not saying thanks to sooner.
kd 10 http://www.kd10.us
kd 10 http://www.kd10.us
Reply
yeezy wave runner 700
3:53 PM on August 26, 2021
I wish to show my gratitude for your generosity for all those that must have help with this particular concept. Your real commitment to getting the solution across had become particularly powerful and have all the time helped those like me to realize their objectives. Your amazing invaluable tips and hints entails so much to me and especially to my peers. Thanks a ton; from everyone of us.
yeezy wave runner 700 http://www.yeezy700.us.com
yeezy wave runner 700 http://www.yeezy700.us.com
Reply
yeezy boost 350 v2
3:54 PM on August 26, 2021
I have to show my love for your kind-heartedness giving support to men and women that need assistance with this concept. Your special commitment to passing the message all-around became remarkably useful and have really empowered guys much like me to realize their targets. Your warm and helpful help and advice indicates a whole lot a person like me and substantially more to my mates. With thanks; from each one of us.
yeezy boost 350 v2 http://www.yeezy-shoes.us.org
yeezy boost 350 v2 http://www.yeezy-shoes.us.org
Oops!
Oops, you forgot something.