Originally Posted by
RatherBeOnATrain
My theory is that Backscatter is capable of full body cavity searches while MMW is not.
Also, FWIW, I'm not aware of any peer-reviewed work that proves MMW is harmless.
If it would see full cavity it would likely need to be transmission Xray, not backscatter. These are used in prisons and customs but need even higher doses.
MMW rays are not capable of damaging DNA, so the harm would have to come via other mechanisms, which is significantly less likely, and has never been observed even at incredibly high energies. X-rays are clearly mutagenic.
Originally Posted by
Wimpie
There is one valid reason why x-ray was chosen. They clearly produce superior images - possibly an order of magnitude better than MMW. This makes detection of stuff easier for their high school radiologists. They clearly have better "detection" capability.
Actual image here:
http://epic.org/privacy/body_scanners/Body_Scan_Pic.jpg
The MMW's really can't see crap, but because of reflective properties, stuff shows up "bigger than life" so things aren't too hard to spot, despite the crappy resolution.
Exactly. MMW images that I've seen are pretty terrible, which is logical from the wavelength and properties of how they are generated. Xray scatter would be incredibly good in comparison.
Both should be scrapped. MMW = low chance of detection and furthers the detection farce. Backscattter = privacy and cancer intrusion. Neither detect body orfice bombs.