Reportedly, 244 full-body backscatter X-ray scanners at 36 airports in the U.S are used 24*7. Many health experts have agreed that these non-stop working X-ray backscatter machines expose passengers to low doses of ionising radiation, which is extremely harmful for their health.
Radiation can affect organs through the skin, says a recent study. In another report, researchers said that they have estimated that in the next few years one billion X-ray backscatter scans per year would be the cause of 100 cases of radiation-induced cancer.
When a person’s body passes through an X-ray machine, beam of high-intensity radiation quickly crosses the body. David Brenner, director of the Centre for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center said that if mechanical malfunction happens the beam can stop at a place even for a few seconds resulting in intense radiation exposure.
John Sedat, emeritus professor of biochemistry and biophysics, University of California, believes that the radiation from the X-ray machines at airport could be 45 times higher than what Transportation Security Administration has estimated.
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