Originally Posted by
davie355
Yes, I believe I've put my baggage through said CBP x-rays while in secondary (agriculture) screening.
I suppose I'm wondering whether I ought to have taken (or take, in the future) any precautions with these machines. Other than certain types of photo film (which I don't use) is there any chance these specialized x-rays are harmful to our belongings?
Can one even opt-out of these x-rays (e.g., requesting inspection by hand)?
Film is the only item people normally carry that is going to be harmed by x-ray.
In my experience (we are normally coming in from China, ag inspections are common) they detect organic materials with an overall density in the rough ballpark of water. Organic materials with a lot of entrapped air (most anything dried that is in pieces that don't pack too well) is not flagged. We pack everything that might get flagged in one suitcase, it limits the disruption if we do get picked on.