Opt for the ‘grope’

Just because the news cycle has moved on, there’s no reason to believe that Transportation Security Administration screenings have stopped being invasive—and, in the case of the X-ray “backscatter” scanners, dangerous.

While we might make plenty of arguments about the invasiveness of the physical searches, of far more concern is the radiation exposure, at least for some flyers. As far back as April, four scientists from UC San Francisco sent a letter to President Barack Obama’s science adviser raising eight levels of concern specific to the “backscatter” type of machines that make up half of the TSA’s scanners.

There are specific people who are more at risk, including people over 65; children and adolescents; women with either of the BRCA gene mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer (and these women often aren’t aware they have the mutation); cancer, HIV and other patients with compromised immune systems; and pregnant women.

That’s a long list of people who may be at risk if they go through those machines. And while the TSA continues to assure the public that there is no danger, they have yet to provide data that addresses the concerns raised by the UCSF scientists.

Until then, we’ll opt for the “grope” if we must—and not fly at all if there’s an option.