Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
I travel a fair amount. Last year, after the publication of my books Montesquieu and the Logic of Liberty and Soft Despotism, Democracy’s Drift, I was on the road all of the time. This year – thanks, I suspect, to the delayed effect of the recession on academic budgets – I have had fewer invitations, which is, frankly, a relief. It is good to be home with my family, and I am enjoying my teaching a whole lot more.
In early September, however, I flew to Washington, DC to attend the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association in Washington, DC. After a day or two, I delivered a paper on Aristophanes, and the next morning I took a taxi to Reagan Airport to catch a flight back to Michigan.There, for the first time, I was subjected to a full-body scan by what I took to be an X-ray machine.
I found myself asking myself: Is this safe? Will it dramatically increase my chances of getting cancer – especially, if these scanners are introduced into every airport, the economy picks up, and I find myself traveling more frequently?
I have recently read reports suggesting that the danger is serious, and I gather that the airline pilots are up in arms. Is there anyone associated with Ricochet who can tell me whether we should all be alarmed?
If so, we should make a fuss. The entire rigamarole that we are made to undergo at airports in the name of security is rooted in a refusal to acknowledge what is obvious to anyone with half a brain – that, for all practical purposes, terrorism today is an Islamic phenomenon and that security screening with an eye to the religion of travelers would be a rational policy.
It is one thing to put non-Muslims through the inconveniences to which we are now subject and to do so in the interests of not subjecting innocent Muslims to humiliation. It would be another to put us for such a purpose in danger of losing our lives. It would be easy enough for the government to issue to frequent travelers who have undergone a thorough security check and are not Muslims an identity card allowing them to bypass the scanners.
Here is a related question that some journalist should pursue. Are Senators and Congressmen who fly out of Reagan Airport subjected to full-body scans? There is, as Samuel Johnson once observed, nothing that concentrates the mind like the prospect of hanging.
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Aug '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Perhaps you should plan on showing up early, take a pass on the scan and get the pat-down. You'll be meeting new friends and getting tickled !
As for what to wear.................slip on loafers, breakaway chippendale "policeman" outfit , and a big fluffy wig or a turban. This will make that special patdown last longer than one of the new "speed dates" .
Kidding aside, why are we so stubborn to ignore the El Al procedures that have worked so well for so long ? What forces work against efficient law enforcement ? And what convoluted thought process makes us feel good about something that enhances the danger to ourselves and our families ?
Truly confounding.
Edited on Nov 9, 2010 at 6:53amRe: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Prof Rahe, I know this is off topic, but what was your paper on Aristophanes about? That must have been a fun one to write!
Oct '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Just looked over the regulatory guidelines for my state. There is often an annual exposure level that minimizes radiation exposure. The idea is that there must be some diagnostic value to the radiograph beyond the risk due to the exposure. Best example, I suppose, would be dental x-rays. Based on risk classifications and age, there is a recommended schedule for complete dental x-rays based on diagnostic value. The question is how much exposure is there from these scanning machines.
Knowing nothing about the exposure values I wouldn't venture to give you advice one way or the other Dr. Rahe. Though, I would caution any women who are pregnant or think they are pregnant to opt out of such a body scan for potential (though statistically unlikely) harm to the developing child. Avoiding x-ray radiation (unless indicated by some infection or trauma that would almost definitely put the pregnancy at risk) is a normal precaution during pregnancy.
Another point for consideration is the occupational exposure of TSA workers at such machines.
The main question is what is the exposure and based on your travel regularity how does it affect your annual exposure limit. Hope this helps.
Edited on Nov 9, 2010 at 7:16amMay '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
The United States Government in general, and TSA in particular, are one of the few institutions in the world that have procedures in place that defy logic and common sense, are acknowledged as such, and trumpeted as both a badge of honor and enlightenment.
Because if you do what the Israelis do, that is, look for terrorists instead of look for weapons, that's profiling! We can't treat Wadoud Muhammad Hafiz Al-Turki any different than Jane Smith, 86-year-old grandmother of four from Peoria, any different! In the eyes of the left that makes us noble.
No, that makes us stupid.
We need a traveler's revolt to force some common sense but we're too timid. Into the x-ray machine like compliant little sheep. Baaaaaaaaa.
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Paul, I'd agree that it's rational to profile based on religion, except that religion is difficult to detect, and impossible to detect if you have a mind to conceal it. How would you be proposing to identify Muslims? What, for example, would suggest that such terrorists as the white, ethnically German Fritz Gelowicz and Daniel Schneider were Muslims? Would you simply ask passengers, "Are you a Muslim?" One presumes a terrorist would no more say "yes" than he would say "yes" to the question, "Would you care for a body cavity search?" Would you do a background check on every passenger to see if he'd ever been to a mosque? How is that economically feasible? Would you simply subject anyone from a majority-Muslim country to heavier scrutiny? But what about the fact that so many Muslim terrorists hold EU passports? The answer, "Come on, Claire, it's common sense, of course you can tell" is in fact quite untrue.
Jul '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
The issues I have seen with full body scanning concerns primarily pilots and crew members, who spend their working day at altitude, and are at comparatively greater risk for radiation-triggered carcinoma, and have a sense of resentment at the idea that they need to be checked for nail files and large bottles of shampoo before being handed the controls of several tons of metal and jet fuel.
The problem TSA has is two-fold. First, they were rapidly spun up using personnel that were picked for their acceptability to a union, rather than for their intuition, common sense, or the possession of a "cop's eye". That resulted in the second difficulty: an attempt to objectively codify criteria as to what constituted a suspicious person. And, being left to bureaucrats, this rapidly devolved into "anyone and everyone is suspicious".
There are behaviors that are common to terrorists. These are known to TSA, and law enforcement organizations. But, because bureaucrats are adverse to risk, they feel that it is better to offend all, then be blamed by any.
May '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
I agree with Claire that using self-described religion as a screening criterion is kind of silly. But I also agree with the overall thesis of the post, which is that security needs to be about finding terrorists, not finding weapons.
How, you say? By looking at all the characteristics of each person .. religion, clothing, demeanor, accent, tone of voice, word choice, evasiveness, comfort level, patience, hygiene, country-of-origin, destination, travel patterns, who they are traveling with, and so on, in order to determine if additional screening is required.
It requires that we actually TRAIN people to use their senses, observation skills, and yes, intuition. Airport security personnel and border crossing agents should have at least as much training (initial and ongoing) as police officers, much of it oriented to observation of other people. The idea that we can put in better technology to be run by low-paid, low-skilled automatons is nonsensical.
Jul '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
The way I can see to improve things is to change TSA over from a union-controlled organization to a professional, paramilitary department, ie "Travel Cops". Establish standards of operation, give them training to meet them, provide pre-screening procedures for those judged to be non-threatening and in close support (pilots and crew). Screen based on gathered intelligence and behavioral keys. Make the TSA agent less of drone staring at a screen, and more of a cop on the beat.
Of course, all this takes time. Do we have it?
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
I wrote on The Clouds and on the fashion in which the critique that Aristophanes directed at the pre-Socratic Socrates both anticipated the Socratic argument found in The Phaedo and serves today as an apt critique of the mainstream of Enlightenment thought. I did not neglect the scatological and sexual jokes -- which have metaphysical implications -- but it is best that I not discuss them on a family-friendly website.
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Paul A. Rahe
I wrote on The Clouds
Too bad - I was hoping it was Lysistrata, which would have brought us back to Emily's post on the benefits of conjugal relations!
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
You are right, of course. But for frequent fliers willing to undergo an elaborate and intrusive security check (for which they would have to pay a reasonable fee) there ought to be an opt out. Moreover, as a number of contributors have mentioned, the Israelis do not use scanners of this sort. Instead, as I know from repeated personal experience, they question each passenger -- at length on the first occasion when one flies into Israel, and with care on subsequent occasions, And the Israeli record is remarkably good.
I still want to know whether being scanned in this fashion is safe, and I would like to know whether Senators and Congressmen get a pass.
Sep '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Paul A. Rahe
I wrote on The Clouds and on the fashion in which the critique that Aristophanes directed at the pre-Socratic Socrates both anticipated the Socratic argument found in The Phaedo and serves today as an apt critique of the mainstream of Enlightenment thought. I did not neglect the scatological and sexual jokes -- which have metaphysical implications -- but it is best that I not discuss them on a family-friendly website. · Nov 9 at 10:07am
Prof Rahe,
Is there a publication date for your paper?
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Pseudodionysius
Paul A. Rahe
I wrote on The Clouds and on the fashion in which the critique that Aristophanes directed at the pre-Socratic Socrates both anticipated the Socratic argument found in The Phaedo and serves today as an apt critique of the mainstream of Enlightenment thought. I did not neglect the scatological and sexual jokes -- which have metaphysical implications -- but it is best that I not discuss them on a family-friendly website. · Nov 9 at 10:07am
Prof Rahe,
Is there a publication date for your paper? · Nov 9 at 10:23am
It is out now in a volume entitled Recovering Reason: Essays in Honor of Thomas L. Pangle, ed. Timothy Burns (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010).
Sep '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Paul A. Rahe
Pseudodionysius
Paul A. Rahe
I wrote on The Clouds and on the fashion in which the critique that Aristophanes directed at the pre-Socratic Socrates both anticipated the Socratic argument found in The Phaedo and serves today as an apt critique of the mainstream of Enlightenment thought. I did not neglect the scatological and sexual jokes -- which have metaphysical implications -- but it is best that I not discuss them on a family-friendly website. · Nov 9 at 10:07am
Prof Rahe,
Is there a publication date for your paper? · Nov 9 at 10:23am
It is out now in a volume entitled Recovering Reason: Essays in Honor of Thomas L. Pangle, ed. Timothy Burns (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010). · Nov 9 at 11:21am
Fabulous. That saves me asking whether you have read the West and West translation of Clouds, Euthyphro, Crito and Apology.
May '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
While I'd like to know if government officials get a pass, I understand that the greater exposure to radiation occurs during flight. I dislike the machines in general. I also dislike the uv light used to verify the validity of my id. How many terrorists getting on airplanes lacked valid I'd? Overall though cancer is not my biggest concern. I have over 100k in the air this year.
May '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
While I'd like to know if government officials get a pass, I understand that the greater exposure to radiation occurs during flight. I dislike the machines in general. I also dislike the uv light used to verify the validity of my id. How many terrorists getting on airplanes lacked valid I'd? Overall though cancer is not my biggest concern. I have over 100k in the air this year.
May '10
Re: Full-Body Scanners: A Danger of Cancer?
Sorry for the double post. I will use the joys of hotel wireless internet as my lame excuse.