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Surviving Holiday Airport Security Screening
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| When "Up-Close-and-Personal" is the Least Worst Choice | |||||
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The Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day is known as the busiest travel day of the year, and for this year’s air travelers, the red tape involved in airport security screening might also cause reddening of faces. Passengers and pilots alike have been complaining about recently-implemented screening techniques which seem to be getting a little too "up-close-and-personal"; faced with the choice between walking through a full body x-ray scanner and a revved-up hand search by a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer, the thought of air travel may be very stressful. New York Times writer Tobin Harshaw, states “apparently it will be the worst travel day in the history of mankind.”
Loss of Privacy
Earlier this year, the TSA began rolling out its latest defense against terroristic bomb threats: 450 Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines deployed throughout airports in the U.S. The AIT units are full body scanners which use x-rays to provide “naked” images of people. Screeners who view the images from distant screening rooms notify TSA officers at the screening site if additional screening (a pat-down) is needed, i.e. if an officer notices a foreign object in the image. In response to privacy concerns, the TSA has assured the public that none of the images are stored on a database.
In addition to the general concern over having an image (albeit not incredibly life-like) of one’s naked body on display for a TSA employee, people are disquieted about the intimate nature of the pat-down. Some have likened it to a police encounter that is usually reserved for someone thought to be armed with a gun, or a person getting checked into jail. The pat-down is the only alternative given to people who end up in a security line with an AIT unit (due to expenses, metal detectors are still used at many airport security checkpoints), and some have had to undergo it anyway because they had small objects like hair bands in their pockets.
Today’s pat-downs now involve same-sex TSA officers using palms and fingers (as opposed to the backs of their hands) to feel around travellers' bodies, including breast and genital areas. The American Civil Liberties Union has received about 400 complaints, and two pilots have filed a lawsuit against the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security claiming violation of Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure.
When Health’s at Stake
In addition to reasons related to feelings of powerlessness and humiliation, people are objecting to the new screening procedures due to health concerns associated with the AIT units. Pilots unions and associations of various airlines have advised pilots not to go through the AIT scanners due to health risks associated with repeated exposure to x-ray radiation. In support of the US Airline Pilots Association’s current position on avoiding the AIT units altogether, President Mike Cleary cites that “The TSA has offered no credible specifications for the radiation emitted by these machines… Based on currently available medical information, USAPA has determined that frequent exposure to TSA-operated scanner devices may subject pilots to significant health risks.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges that X-ray energy can harm human tissue, and increases a person’s risk of developing cancer. X-rays use ionizing radiation, which the American Cancer Society describes as a known human carcinogen: it can cause DNA mutations due to tissue heating. Cancers often associated with exposure to ionizing radiation are leukemia and multiple myeloma, as well as thyroid, lung, skin, breast, and stomach cancers.
A person’s risk of cancer increases each time s/he is exposed to x-ray radiation, making the risk much greater for pilots, crew, airport staff, and frequent fliers. Children and teens are particularly susceptible to radiation and have a greater lifetime risk of cancer due to x-ray radiation exposure, which now brings another difficult dimension to traveling with children. Women are also at a higher risk of developing cancer from ionizing radiation than men.
While the American Cancer Society states that a person would need to get approximately 1,000 full-body scans at the airport to receive the same amount of radiation as a chest x-ray, it also notes that “there is no threshold below which ionizing radiation is thought to be safe.”
A Tough Choice
Since the effects of x-ray radiation are cumulative, those who fly often are faced with a grueling choice between subjecting themselves to greater risk of cancer or many, many up-close-and-personal physical searches. New York Times Reporter Susan Stellan suggests that, faced with these options, other groups of people might simply choose not to fly; the positives may not outweigh the negatives for parents with children, disabled people, people with medical devices or health issues, and sexual assault victims.
In addition to cancer concerns, the arduous journey through airport security can be stressful, which can negatively impact health. Conscious stress management when traveling by plane is crucial.
The Best Solutions For Now
If you are planning to fly to visit family or friends for the Thanksgiving holiday, here’s a few things you can do to make the best of an air travel situation:
Before you get to the airport:
At the airport:
Happy Thanksgiving (to all of you who celebrate it)!
References:
© 2010 Heart MD Institute, PA |
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