Heathrow scanner experiences?

Dan Golding dgolding at burtongroup.com
Fri Nov 19 20:00:17 UTC 2004



In the name of Signal:Noise, I'd like to suggest this be moved off-list.

Thanks!!!

- Dan

On 11/19/04 8:11 AM, "Paul Wouters" <paul at xtdnet.nl> wrote:

> 
> [ It is a bit off topic, but I am looking for people who have travelled
> through Heathrow lately with the new x-ray scanner, and nanog people are
> generally engaged in a lot of traveling ]
> 
> I was just pointed out to this article:
> 
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/18/blunkett_xray_blank/
> 
> It says:
> 
> "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what air kerma
> rate has been used to assess radiation doses associated with the use of
> the Rapiscan Secure 1000 apparatus." David Blunkett's (yes, him again,
> sorry about that) response was: "The information sought is not in the
> public domain."
> 
> "This would mean that a security scanner would have to deliver 2,500
> scans of an individual annually at 0.1 µSv per scan in order to reach
> the US administrative control level of 0.25 mSv. For an airport security
> scanner, even operating at a rather higher level, you'd probably have
> to be living in it to achieve that kind of level."
> 
> I went through Heathrow a few weeks ago, and was luckilly selected as
> a winner and destined to test these new Rapiscan boxes. I was informed
> it was an X-ray scanner, but with a very low dosage, the equivalent of
> being in an airplane for 11 minutes. Ofcourse only later did I realise
> that if these shots take 0.5 seconds, I was getting a dose 2*11*60=
> 1330 times the dose of the backgorund radiation of being in a plane. I
> wouldn't be suprised if those 11 minutes were per shot either. But at
> the time, I was more curious then worried.
> 
> The machine looked like a big wall.  I needed to stand in front of it,
> without jacket, arms and legs spread, torso turned. Two shots were
> made with me turned in both positions. A third shot was made when I
> was standing straight, exactly like a criminal. Legs slightly spread,
> arms up.  I then asked to the officer if they were storing these scans,
> and what they actualy showed. He then offered me a look behind the scene
> (and screen).  A second officer was there, looking at a monitor that
> still showed my third shot. I saw myself from behind, 'naked'. I was quite
> suprised that this technology could actually render me naked. I could see
> where I have body hair and where not. From a technological point of view
> quite an achievement.  (There was a second scanner, but I am not sure if
> those were run by women, and whether they only picked women or not) The
> officer further told me this was meant to scan for objects on the body,
> and that the images were not stored. They did not ask me for my passport,
> so I don't think this information is cross checked or stored. I also read
> on an earlier news article that the person seeing the monitor cannot
> see the person in real life, which is meant to 'reduce' the privacy
> invasion. The person seeing you 'naked' never sees the real you.
> 
> I forgot about the scanner and walked into the secure shopping mall,
> and checked for books. About five minutes after the scan, while I
> was not even thinking about the scanner anymore, I suddenly felt very
> nauseous all over. I then felt a sharp pain in my lower right abdomen
> which dissipated in the next minute. The nausea passed as well.
> 
> I am a bit worried, and I did Google around, but found no other people
> reporting the same. I did not go back to the scanner, since I couldn't
> reach the insecure area anymore.
> 
> I wondered about the pain. AFAIK there are no vital organs on the
> right side. The liver, spleen and 'alvleesklier' (?) should be more
> to the left or lower. The only thing on the right side is the end of
> your intestines. That made me think that in fact they might have used
> a higher dose or a more targeted scan to check deeper into my body for
> hidden drugs or explosives or whatever.
> 
> I'd love to hear from anyone else who has gone through this scanner and
> what their experience was.
> 
> Paul

-- 
Daniel Golding
Network and Telecommunications Strategies
Burton Group







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