tesla,
TSA didn't lie to you; the radiation from the x-ray machine is very low. As GradGirl pointed out, could be from the bumpy ride through the machine's conveyor belt. Then again, if it's that sensitive, then any bumping at home, work or even in the car would have done the same thing. The only thing that makes sense to me is that perhaps you held it too close to the walk-through metal detector. The magnetic field emanating from it could have damaged your chip.

At my airport, we have a roller bar and table configured in such a way that when someone loads items into the x-ray, those items are at a safe distance from any magnetic field emanating from the WTMD. Just to make sure of that, we have tape on the floor on both sides of the WTMD that mark that zone. We use this primarily to prevent passengers from clustering too closely at the WTMD so that the person entering the WTMD isn't inadvertently beeped because someone else was standing too closely behind and the machine detected the combination of metal from both individuals.

The most common mistake travelers often make is placing disks or the miniature removable hard drives in their pockets as they enter the WTMD because they want to avoid having them x-rayed. Even when the WTMD alarms, there's a chance that the disks aren't damaged. However, during secondary screening, when the hand wand is held right up against the pocket where the disk is, the double-zap from the WTMD and hand wand pretty much affects whatever data was stored in the disk/drive.

One last thing about x-ray radiation (at least the model we have at our airport): damage from x-ray radiation exposure on undeveloped 35mm film is negligible. You can expose 800 ASA speed film through the machines and not damage the film. However, as a safety precaution, TSA recommends not running high speed or sensitive film (800 ASA and higher) through the x-ray. TSA screeners will use explosives detection methodology as an alternate screening procedure. Regardless of film speed, you always have the right to request your film be checked by a means other than x-ray. A TSA screener may explain to you which types of film may be safely x-rayed, but the screener may not refuse your request. Medical and dental Xrays can also be safely passed through the x-ray machine because they've already been exposed. Unexposed x-ray film cannot be run through the x-ray machine. Video cassettes, digital cameras and anything other than unexposed x-ray film and undeveloped 35mm film MUST be screened by the x-ray machine.