TSA Moving The Older Technology To Terminals That See Fewer Passengers

The old-style X-ray scanners at major U.S. airports like LAX, New York's Kennedy, Chicago's O'Hare, and Orlando International are being quietly replaced with the newer backscatter scanners, according to TSA. The agency says it is doing so to speed up the screening process in heavily-used terminals, and that the older machines are being re-deployed to smaller airports.

The website ARS Technica reports that radiation experts say the millimeter wave scanners that produce a generic image pointing out any potential objects being carried by the person being screened expose passengers to far less radiation than the X-ray scanners ... the ones that produce images that could be perceived showing people "naked". The images subjected TSA to a firestorm of criticism since their introduction following the failed underwear bombing in 2009.

TSA says that the more intrusive scanners are not being thrown away, but being moved to airports where there are fewer passengers to screen. They say that the time it takes for a TSO to review and interpret each individual image slows down the screening process at larger airports. TSA spokesman David Castelveter said that the exposure to radiation and privacy were not taken into consideration when the decision was made.

The website reports that the U.S. is one of only a few countries still screening passengers using X-rays at any airport. Most have abandoned the devices, citing a small but potential increased risk of cancer associated with their use.

(Images: Top, X-ray scanner image. Bottom, millimeter wave image)

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