Because Pissy and Nappy have told them that they are 100% safe...

You also have to have them checked. I have one at work but I wouldn't wear it through the airport; the backscatter either wouldn't affect it, or else the reading would wind up so high I'd lose my license to work with isotopes!

Not expensive enough for the government to buy and they have to be guaranteed to break down within 6 months of entering service before the gov't will even consider buying them

"If TSA doesn't care enough about its employees to allow the wearing of dosimeters and TSA employees don't have enough self respect to either demand to wear a dosimeter or walk off then just why do you care?"

Well, maybe because I'm a fellow human being caught up in the spirit of what Christmas stands for? Maybe because that's the one thing I can see that distinguishes us from jihadists and from abusive agencies/employees?

Maybe because it helps to have this discussion? Maybe because it will start some TSOs thinking? Maybe because that's the one shining piece of personal dignity I can salvage from this whole debacle?

"You might want to let your mom know that just choosing to go through the strip search scanner doesn't mean she won't also get an invasive pat-down afterward."

Thanks, Anubis, she has been alerted to this. And I've told her to scream bloody murder if it happens.

Primum non nocere, regardless of who the patient is.

Indeed. Primum non nocere.

(when the only way out is up...)

Hmm, maybe this idea has some possibilities. I'll bet buying a truckload of these dosimeters directly from a Chinese manufacturer (probably where most of the ones you get in the USA come from anyway) has a lot lower unit cost than $60-70. Maybe arrangements can even be made to preload a bit of a "starter dose" on each one before shipping. Hee-hee-hee.

I think your use of "jihadist" is misguided in the context of Christmas.

You proposed a line of questioning and ask for thoughts. Just because my thoughts are polar to yours makes them no less valid.

I am all for personal responsibility. I would expect TSA employees as well as people in any line of work to be responsible for their own safety. That means looking out for oneself.

Providing dosimeters to TSA employees has nothing to do with the spirit of Christmas, at least in my opinion.

I will give a gift even greater than a gift of dosimeters to all TSA employees, free advice, quit while you still have some self respect left!

Just another thought, FT who still must fly for a living out of necessity and even those who don't fly that often might want to "invest" in a pocket-sized dosimeter badge as one approach the TSA checkpoints for one's own self protection & exposure monitoring. ^

If those equipment with biomed applications start to malfunction and nobody at TSA/OSHA is checking/monitoring/certifying/inspecting them on a schedule, regular basis - you could be subject to exposure at a greater distance and at a higher dosage than we've being told - it could leak or generate a substantially higher dose. At my workplace, all radiation equipments along with other medical equipments are tested, checked and calibrated on a regular basis, it's mandatory and some of them on a daily basis ....

There's no law against traveling with one, and if a growing body of FT starting wearing them & using them at the airports & other checkpoints where the machines are running, it will definitely raise the awareness level and be a talking point among other novice travelers and even among airline crews.

I wouldn't be surprised if some of them already brought one at their own personal expenses and start using/wearing them discretly under their blue uniform.

Fortunately, Dulles (my home airport) only has one Cancer Machine. It's in the basement black diamond lane in the baggage claim area. If she can get herself through the checkpoint without a wheel chair, she will be OK (on a relative scale). Make sure you don't go through Dulles from about 3-6 pm or in the morning before about 9 am. The airport is gridlock and the checkpoints are worse.

FliesWay2Much, THANK YOU! Very valuable information for my wonderful mom. (taking notes)

What about RADStickers? (Scroll down to the second product.) I think they are one use only, and cost about $5-8 each. I've been thinking about buying a few, but haven't yet.

-- ladytraveler

That's a brilliant idea. In bulk, they are reasonably affordable and would make an excellent item to give to TSOs as you clear security. They could stick it to the back of their badge or whatnot.

FYI, my mother-in-law is 96 going on 60 and I admire the daylights out of her. She will be 97 next May.