Professor cites dangers of airport body-scan radiation

Mandated by the Transportation Security Administration, advanced imaging technology machines are starting to appear at airports across the United States. In addition to complaints over issues of privacy, the health of passengers who are exposed to small doses of X-ray radiation is a cause for concern.

ASU’s Peter Rez, physics professor, “has independently calculated the radiation doses of backscatter scanners using the images produced by the machines,” reports Marnie Hunter of CNN. His findings have led him to disagree with other experts who say the amount of radiation exposure is low enough to be a non-issue in the health safety of passengers.