Body scanners may be emitting more radiation than what is recorded

Body scanners may be emitting more radiation than earlier thought

Body scanners used in airports have been subjected to re-testing after transportation officials discovered that erroneous recording of radiation levels were made by some personnel.

The move comes after the Transportation Security Administration and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Wednesday even allayed fears of the radiation risk from the controversial body scanners.

"The amount of radiation is approximately (the same as that received) as two minutes in the air," Napolitano told a Senate panel on Wednesday, citing independent studies to back her claim.

But a subsequent internal review of 15 airports over the last two years showed some discrepancies with radiation level data and the TSA ordered the machines to be tested again. On Friday, the agency said the issues found were "record-keeping errors."

However, Republican Senator Susan Collins said the TSA readings had "gross errors about radiation emissions" in more than a quarter of the data from the body scanners.

"That is completely unacceptable when it comes to monitoring radiation," the senator from Maine said. "If TSA contractors reporting on the radiation levels have done such a poor job, how can airline passengers and crew have confidence in the data used by the TSA to reassure the public?"

The agency said it will be more closely monitor the testing and personnel will undergo further training. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will also help transportation officials in drafting a more accurate report.

Transportation officials had bowed to public pressure and decided to publish online the radiation levels being emitted by airport body scanners.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Saturday March 12 2011, 11:11 PM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0