Airport Scanner

FAQs

• What is the scanner called at the airport?
  Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners at airports check passengers and personal items for dangerous items such as weapons, chemicals and liquids that are not allowed as carry-on items.
• What do airport scanners see?
  Scanners can detect steel and non-metallic objects on the exterior of the body. Contrary to popular belief they cannot see inside body cavities or diagnose disease. New ATI scanners have been designed to provide passengers with more privacy by showing only a generic outline, which cannot indicate gender or body type.
• What does the scanner at the airport detect?
  Depending on the type of machine, ionizing radiation is used to identify objects that may be hidden by passengers and to create images of what is in luggage. Backscatter passenger scanners are used to detect threats such as weapons or explosives that a person could be carrying under their clothing.
• Can airport scanners see in you?
  Scanners can detect steel and non-metallic objects on the exterior of the body. Contrary to popular belief they cannot see inside body cavities or diagnose disease. New ATI scanners have been designed to provide passengers with more privacy by showing only a generic outline, which cannot indicate gender or body type.
• Is the airport scanner safe?
  And in airport X-ray machines, even though about half of the scanners emit ionizing radiation, the dose just isn't high enough to do bodily harm, Nelson said. (Roughly half of scanners use millimeter waves, a form of non-ionizing radiation.) "It's so tiny that it's inconsequential," he told Live Science.
• Which scanner is used in airport?
  The TSA uses x-ray machines to screen carry-on items and checked luggage. TSA x-ray equipment must meet the FDA requirements (see below) to limit passenger and worker exposure to radiation.
• How do they scan you at the airport?
  There are two types of body scanners: the millimeter wave scanner and the backscatter X-ray. The millimeter wave scanner uses high frequency radio waves to make an image of the body which shows objects hidden under clothes. The backscatter X-ray scanners detect the radiation that reflects from the human body.
• What airport scanners Cannot see?
  Scanners can detect steel and non-metallic objects on the exterior of the body. Contrary to popular belief they cannot see inside body cavities or diagnose disease. New ATI scanners have been designed to provide passengers with more privacy by showing only a generic outline, which cannot indicate gender or body type.
• How does the scanner at the airport work?
  Metal detectors create a magnetic field by using a brief pulse of electrical current. The magnetic field will be reflected back to the machine if there are any metal objects present, such as a watch or a belt buckle. The return signal is detected by the machine and a beeping noise is produced to alert the TSA agent.