They told me "they're safe" and NOT x-rays, but radio waves...what's the effects and difference. Since I don't quite trust being told they're safe, I'm thinking of opting to a "pat down" instead.
Kojak
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Officially....... You receive more radiation walking around in the daylight every 12 seconds than you do in one scan......http://news.health.com/2013/07/08/airport-scanners-pose-little-radiation-risk-report/
It would take over 22,000 scans to reach a critical level.......
bottom line is no it is not good for you but "safe"...... these are the same people who said thalidomide was "safe"....... the sad thing is .....all those inspections are a waste of time..... they make you "feel" safe.....but any terrorist who wants to hijack a plane can circumvent the inspections..... they only stop idiots and amateurs
Roger K
Scanners that use radio waves, use low energy waves and are safe.
Surely you must listen to the radio once in a while. All of the different stations you can receive are broadcasting radio waves ALL the time, on ALL of those different frequencies, so your body is being hit by ALL of those waves constantly, 24 hours a day, every day.
There is no danger.
Scanners that use x-rays also use a very low energy beam, because the point is to bounce the energy off of the skin, not to penetrate it.
They _may_ be slightly more dangerous to people, but you will be exposed to far more radiation from the atmosphere while you are flying than you will get from walking through the scanner.