Cancer risks from airport X-ray screenings are mimimal, says the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
MSNBC reports that the TSA have admitted that the results of tests on the radiation levels at X-ray body scanners that have been put in airports across America are flawed. The tests came back showing ten times more radiation than was expected. The TSA says the scanners will be re-tested because there was a 'calculation error' in the safety studies.
The pro-passenger group, the Association for Airline Passenger Rights, said the government should stop using the $180,000 machines that produce a virtual-nude image of the body until new tests are concluded in May.
Brandon Macsata, executive director of the group, said: "Airline passengers have enough concerns about flying - including numerous ones about how TSA conducts its haphazard security screenings. So it is the TSAs responsibility to ensure passengers are not being exposed to unhealthy amounts of radiation."
Echoing Mr. Macsatas sentiments is the executive director of Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC), Marc Rotenberg, who is calling for their use to be stopped until new health studies are concluded.
"These risks could have been more carefully assessed," he said. Rotenberg is expected to address the issue before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday.
The fiasco comes as radiation paranoia grips the U.S. because of fears surrounding the nuclear plant disaster in Japan.
President Obama has called for calm as worried Americans panic-buy drugs to protect themselves against Japan's nuclear fallout. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned Americans to "be prepared."
