TSA Passenger Imaging Testing at Security Checkpoints

So, Carrie, what I understand from your past post is that Backscatter is Xray technology which means that we are getting radiated? What does this mean for pregnant women? What I still don’t understand that in spite of this sophisticated scanning equipment still the bad stuff appears to get through when TSA sends people through to challenge the system.

This equipment is in the testing phase so not every passenger is screened in this way. If it is successful, I hope it will keep the bad stuff off the planes.

I’m not sure about the risk to pregnant women. Sounds to me like another good reason to never have children :). Maybe someone with more knowledge will read this and comment?

The levels of radiation are strictly governed by ANSI standards and the FDA. The effective amount of radiation used per scan is equivalent to just a few minutes on an airplane. When you’re at 35,000 feet, cosmic radiation levels increase due to less protection from the atmosphere. So, if you choose to fly, you are going to be exposed to ‘more’ radiation than if not. Still, the levels are REALLY insignificant from a health perspective.

Thanks so much for shedding some light on that X-Ray Scientist!

So does that mean, legally speaking, that pregnant women should at least be informed and advised to the amount of radiation they would receive before going through one of these machines (i.e. when you have x-rays at the dentist office) plus the percentage of risk factor for deformities? For that matter, should pregnant women be informed and advised about the amount of radiation incurred during air travel?

I would assume that is one of the things a doctor would advise a pregnant woman of before traveling. It is my understanding that women in the later part of their pregnancy are advised to avoid airline travel.

But as the radiation levels are insignificant from a health perspective, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Hello. I moved to India from Chicago and my Visa is for 180 days. When we start trying for a child, it’s mandatory for me to still travel every 6 months to the U.S. I’m a Registered Nurse and I know in medical journals it DOES state obviously, radiation is not good for the developing fetus. They should not mandate pregnant women to fly in fear of losing their visa. There has to be some way around this. I am going ot go to the New Delhi American embassy here and if it ends up that I would HAVE to fly while pregnant, I will raise a HUGE issue on this matter. It should be a human right to protect your unborn child from known teratogens. I understand homeland security has to do their job, but even if you have a pat down at the airport, you still have radiation all around you. You don’t see them offering lead vests to pregnant women-they should consider this, as even a dentist provides this for the patients.