TSA to test its airport scanner operators for radiation exposure

Los Angeles Times ^ | January 16, 2012 | Hugo Martín

[george76]

The agency will not retest the machines or airline passengers

...

After years of rebuffing health concerns over airport scanners, the Transportation Security Administration plans to conduct new tests on the potential radiation exposure from the machines at more than 100 airports nationwide.

But the TSA does not plan to retest the machines or passengers. Instead, the agency plans to test its airport security officers to see if they are being exposed to dangerous levels of radiation while working with the scanners.

News of the test leaked out after the TSA issued a request last month to government vendors to provide wearable, personal dosimeters, devices that measure exposure to radiation.

[elpadre]

O boy!! they hit the mother lode - picture it - thousands of TSA workers lining up for SS disability retirement for radiation they probably received from a wristwatch or ipad or .....

[DBrow]

Don’t forget all the SEIU hospital workers that might have been close to a patient that had an isotope procedure.

[DBrow]

Here is another thought- maybe this is being pushed by the guys who make the millimeter wave scanners? If TSA bans the xray machines they’ll order a billion dollars worth of mmW scanners.

[6SJ7]

I wonder how the government will cover up the scanner radiation hazard once TSA workers’ nads start falling off?

[DBrow]

http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10612363/tsa-to-shield-screeners-from-radiation

One problem is that the dosimeters the TSA guys use are the same ones everyone uses, including hospital workers, but they are not sensitive enough to pick up the tiny amounts around these scanners. That’s why they will be doing medical exams.

Sort of like Dow Corning breast implants and Agent Orange. Oh and Alar.

[WKUHilltopper]

Why? They’ve been bemoaning about how safe they are—they’re just now testing them?? Are the jaws of their TSA goons dropping from their heads with over exposure already?

[longtermmemmory]

just the POTENTIAL harm will qualify for the gravy train.

AND

there will be yet another government controlled trust fund put in place.

The crony capitalists who sold these cancer generators should be put in jail.

[ken in texas]

It may be hard to cover up but the upside is that without nads the TSA workers won't reproduce. /sarcasm level: medium

[Jack of all Trades]

Good to see that the government is a self-correcting entity. The TSA obviously learned the lesson of the NTSB, where they initially forced auto maker to release air bag equipped cars that could decapitate drivers.

/sarc

[Theoria]

George Soros, Michael Chertoff, and a number of lobbyists, etc.

[SaraJohnson]

Gee, I’d hate to see the little fascist pervs having been diseased by their own abusive operation. This is rich. There is a God and He is just.

[meatloaf]

For some reason that reminds me about the issue of cops getting testicular cancer from radar guns. I wonder how that worked out.

[dblshot]

A transparent attempt to get TSA workers free medical treatment. Just about any cancer can be said to be caused by radiation exposure. If fat helps insulate one’s organs from the damage of x-rays, there's not going to many TSA workers adversely affected. And for those fans of the Michael Berry show, can we expect LT. Dan to call in and say see I told you how dangerous a TSA agents job is?

[TheOldLady]

Click the Pic

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