UCSF Doc.s/ Cancer Specialists Warn Against Airport Body Scanners

[gracemamma]

 Not sure if this is covered to some extent in other thread about body scan alternatives- I admit to not reading all 60+posts! I would not have gone through the body scan with DD for our Thanksgiving travels anyway, but this letter really explains why the experts are so concerned as well as particular concerns for children, pregnant mamas, male fertility, immune compromised folks etc. I continue to be amazed at the extensive opportunities to be a guinea pig in our society!

Safe travels to all this week!

http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdf 

[DahliaRW]

Thanks!  Hadn't seen that document (though I already feel they are "unsafe").

[MaryJaneLouise]

Important information to pass on.  We should all be writing our congresspeople about banning this unproven technology.

[gracemamma]

I'm glad this was useful. I called our airport today and told them I am travelling tomorrow with a 1year old and woukd be refusing the body scanners. I asked about how the pat down works and time involved. They said it would take an extra 5 minutes and to just let the TSA folks know after going through the Xray. She said we would get a female. She did say they might want to pat down my 1 yr old separately and I said, "She's pre-verbal so she will stay with me in whatever way TSA wants to do this." We are now playing airport and patting each other down in prep for tomorrow. Fingers  crossed, it will all go well.

[P.J.]

Thank you so much for posting this! I just forwarded it on to DH, who stubbornly thinks there's no real danger in these new scanners. We're travelling through the US soon and I brought up that baby and I will not be going through them, and DH thought I was being paranoid.