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Old Nov 11, 2004, 4:36 pm
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Post An x-ray machine is currently being tested by security staff at Heathrow

An x-ray machine is currently being tested by security staff at Heathrow, but if successful it will not replace hand searching.

The machine is being tested on passengers in Heathrow Terminal 4 alongside the existing metal detectors and bag scanners in the security area. It works by using a small dose of x-ray to detect objects being carried under travellers' clothes, including both metallic and non-metallic items.

Currently passengers are being invited by security staff to use the machine, and can refuse if they wish. Pregnant women and children are not being asked, despite assertions from the airport's spokespeople that it is completely safe.

The Rapiscan Secure 1000 screens the individual and a digital image of their body is immediately displayed on the security operator's computer screen showing the shape and location of objects hidden under the clothing. Various airports in the US have also tested the x-ray machine.

According to a spokesman for Heathrow airport the machine will not replace hand searching. “We won't see the end of hand searching because it is still sometimes necessary, this machine just adds another layer of security.”
The trial, a joint initiative between Heathrow and the Department for Transport, ends in January after which a review will begin to decide whether to install them across the airport.
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