txflyer77

Even if the BKSX machines are designed to emit some tiny fraction of an acceptable dose, we'd still have to trust that:

a) the machines are configured and maintained properly by the TSA

b) the manufacturer didn't screw up

Seems like a situation ripe for a repeat of Therac-25.

FliesWay2Much

It's more fundamental for me: Why would anyone voluntarily submit themselves to being irradiated by an industrial x-ray? Why would a government willingly do this to its people? Poetic justice -- the real losers are the TSA clerks who operated these Cancer Boxes 8-9 hours per day while standing right next to it. Depending upon other health risks of the individual clerks, some of them could be dropping like flies in the next few years.

txflyer77

I agree completely—my argument was meant to put forward an objection on practical rather than philosophical grounds.

That said, before they were removed I never once submitted to the BKSX. If they come back and opt-out is refused I'm not entirely sure what will happen.

Boggie Dog

https://www.nirs.org/radiation/radte...dose072005.pdf

There is no acceptable safe dose of radiation!

Himeno

They should get rid of the scanners and bring back something that is actually effective at doing what TSA is meant to be doing - ETP "puffer" machines.

Boggie Dog

They would need to hire people who can actually follow instructions and operate advanced equipment to do so.

Himeno

They can get the staff at CN Tower to train them.

WillCAD

Well, to be fair, they could get the CN staff to TRY top train them. I doubt they'll have much success.

kmersh

I line up less due to PreCheck, but I tend to look at things like this, I do not like the idea of a Body Scanner because I am not a criminal, have done nothing, have NO intention of doing anything wrong, but what am I to do?

I could complain to my Senators and Congressperson (or more accurately his/her staffers) but that would not alter the situation in the slightest.

I could choose not to fly, but that would limit my abilities to travel outside a reasonable area to drive and I enjoy vacationing too much for that.

I can Opt-Out but that is going to make my life materially annoying (if not harder) and while it maybe the right thing to do from a civics perspective, I just do not have the patients nor interest in being a better citizen.

So if I am directed to use the Body Scanner, I do, not because I like too or because I think it is safe, but because it is the path of the least resistance, probably all the wrong reasons to do so, but that is my thinking.

Why do other people, you would have to ask them, but I would wager that most do not put any sort of thought into it, it is just follow along. Some may feel good about doing so (I cannot speak to that) but that majority just do it because they are told to do so.

AllieKat

In principle, I agree with this. My fear is they may try to re-introduce their backscatter machines (they owned a lot of them at one point!) and not allow opt-outs on those, despite them being almost certain to cause cancer.

Majuki

Perhaps I could be remembering incorrectly, but I thought that the TSA auctioned/sold off the backscatter machines (or gave them away to other agencies)? Also, what would be the point of bringing back the backscatter machines? All airports that had them have since swapped out for MMW.

petaluma1

TSA will bring back backscatter as soon as it can be made to work with AIT as they claim backscatter is better technology than MMW.

WillCAD

If those who fear the return of BSX are right, TSA can easily con Congress into increasing their budget a few tens of millions and buying all new BSX machines.

The idea of the cancer boxes coming back is truly frightening, especially when combined with the new no opt out policy, but I'll wait for a while before I get into a panic over it. TSA is heavily invested in the MMW units, so there's a good chance that they'll continue buying the same units when the current ones need replacing.

FliesWay2Much

The TSA sent the Cancer Boxes into the government surplus system run by GSA. An agency has to go through a process similar to how NFL teams put a player on waivers. Another federal agency could have claimed the Cancer Boxes "on waivers" from the TSA during a short period of time. If they weren't claimed, they would go to a GSA warehouse to be either sold for scrap or sold to someone outside the federal government for a fixed price or at an auction. In order for the TSA to bring back the old Cancer Boxes, they would have to buy them back from the GSA. I think most of us agree that the TSA is that stupid and that Congress would let them get away with it.

WillCAD

Actually, I think TSA is even muchly more stupiderest than that - they would insist on buying all-new cancer boxes. And they'd have at least one legitimate card to play; the whole (official) reason they were scrapped was because they couldn't be made to work with ATR. If they're re-adopted, it will only be after ATR is made to work on them - but there is no guarantee that the older models could be retrofitted with ATR. It might only work on brand-new models.