Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Some notes on x-ray backscatter imaging
TJ Radcliffe Web Page ^ | 11/16/2010 | TJ Radcliffe

Posted on 11/22/2010 8:26:26 PM PST by Greysard

This open letter from a group of scientists [...] is entirely to the point, in my view as a radiation transport physicist who is intimately familiar with the processes by which x-rays deposit energy in tissue. [...]

As it stands, these machines are a pure act of state-sponsored violence against anyone who is mislead into one. I would certainly not allow myself to be scanned by one of these machines, nor allow one of my minor children to be scanned by one. [...]

Based on a back of the envelope calculation with a 50 KVp Bremsstrahlung spectrum and the standard mass absorption coefficients for soft tissue, X-ray backscatter machines will, if widely deployed, almost certainly kill far more people than the terrorists they are supposed to protect us from.

(Excerpt) Read more at tjradcliffe.com ...


TOPICS: Technical
KEYWORDS: scanners; tsa; tsapervs
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last
Today on Slashdot I found a link to this quite relevant article. The author is not a journalist and not a bureaucrat - he is a scientist, and he works specifically in the area of radiation. He sets the moral issues aside for the moment, and talks just about medical aspects - and danger - of those scanners.

See the complete article for details. He explains exactly what is going on with that mythical "average dose." In my own words, to summarize, it works like this:

You take a welder's blowtorch, light it and put it against your stomach for five seconds. Then you measure the temperature increase of your entire body, find it to be just 0.05° and declare the blowtorch perfectly safe!

1 posted on 11/22/2010 8:26:28 PM PST by Greysard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Greysard

a pure act of state-sponsored violence against anyone who is mislead into one.


I just wished he could have spelled “misled.”


2 posted on 11/22/2010 8:29:13 PM PST by Atlas Sneezed ("If you touch my junk, I'm gonna have you arrested.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Greysard

3 posted on 11/22/2010 8:34:58 PM PST by al_c (http://www.blowoutcongress.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Greysard

4 posted on 11/22/2010 8:36:19 PM PST by lightman (Adjutorium nostrum (+) in nomine Domini)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Greysard
Ironic that I should get written up and fined for using a radiographic machine without protective walls, film register, and an apron but these idiots at the TSA use the same radiation on the public with no protection and no radiographic safety in place.
5 posted on 11/22/2010 8:37:44 PM PST by vetvetdoug
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Beelzebubba

The “scientists” I have met weren’t big on spelling, math was more their thing.

I saw on the news this evening the TSA won’t allow independent testing of these x-ray peep machines for safety and radiation output.

Notice how there is no shielding for workers and passengers in the area of these devices?


6 posted on 11/22/2010 8:39:53 PM PST by wrench
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Greysard; Nachum; blackie; ExTexasRedhead; LucyT; Rushmore Rocks; null and void; Candor7; ...
From the link:

Based on a back of the envelope calculation with a 50 KVp Bremsstrahlung spectrum and the standard mass absorption coefficients for soft tissue, X-ray backscatter machines will, if widely deployed, almost certainly kill far more people than the terrorists they are supposed to protect us from.

7 posted on 11/22/2010 8:40:36 PM PST by MamaDearest
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Greysard
I may be behind the times, but I thought when an xray is taken of a person, they should be covered with a lead covering for protection.

I'd bet that in a few years there will be a lot of ill formed babies born. This will fit perfectly with the Death paneled obamacare.

8 posted on 11/22/2010 8:41:24 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wrench
"Notice how there is no shielding for workers and passengers in the area of these devices?"

Thank you. You answered my question.

9 posted on 11/22/2010 8:44:19 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: 1_Rain_Drop

I think I just may mention this in passing to TSA employees...

Man-oh-man, they couldn’t pay me enough to stand next to an unshielded x-ray machine all day long!


10 posted on 11/22/2010 8:46:21 PM PST by null and void (We are now in day 671 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: al_c
Photobucket

11 posted on 11/22/2010 8:51:00 PM PST by Dick Bachert (11/2 was a good start. Onward to '12. U Pubbies be strong or next time we send in the libertarians!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Greysard

Back in 1999 I underwent treatment for maxiofacial cancer which involved a lifetime dose of radiation to my head. I have no idea what the risks are from these machines, but the phrase “lifetime dose” tells me I am not supposed to get any more x-ray radiation from the neck up for the rest of my life.

I hope someone is preparing to challenge all of this in Court and get an emergency stay on all of these procedures until a Court can rule on their Constitutionality.


12 posted on 11/22/2010 8:57:10 PM PST by Bean Counter (Stout Hearts!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Greysard

If I am asked to go through the scanner, I will loudly say “does this machine emit radiation? Are you (the operator)a licensed x-ray technician? doctor?” Who is maintaining/monitoring these machines to make sure they are safe?” No? then how DARE you tell me to be ‘scanned’!


13 posted on 11/22/2010 9:03:13 PM PST by usmom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: usmom

good idea


14 posted on 11/22/2010 9:09:56 PM PST by phockthis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Greysard; Markos33; Salamander; Allegra; humblegunner; 50mm; Larry Lucido
"X-ray backscatter machines will, if widely deployed, almost certainly kill far more people than the terrorists they are supposed to protect us from."

Someone is operating under the unsupported assumption that is not their intent.
15 posted on 11/22/2010 9:16:39 PM PST by shibumi (Wily Pablo loves Flank Steak Tacos)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: null and void

Yea when TSA agents start growing feet out of their heads and having babies with two heads they’ll probably get the message that x-rays aren’t good for you. I wonder if they are monitored for x-ray dossage and are required to wear a film badge. It would be interesting to see their monthly readings.


16 posted on 11/22/2010 9:28:12 PM PST by Harley (Life is Tough, But It's a Lot Tougher When You're a Liberal. Stop Global Whining Now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Greysard
Would it be far fetched to say, that this government is systematically sterilizing a huge portion of our male population, and exposing women, and women who are pregnant and young children to a great cancer risk by these T.S.A scanning machines ?
17 posted on 11/22/2010 9:30:52 PM PST by American Constitutionalist (The fool has said in his heart, " there is no GOD " ..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 1_Rain_Drop

” I’d bet that in a few years there will be a lot of ill formed babies born. This will fit perfectly with the Death paneled obamacare. “ and in their own terms, babies not worth saving.


18 posted on 11/22/2010 9:33:25 PM PST by American Constitutionalist (The fool has said in his heart, " there is no GOD " ..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Greysard

This is a very valuable article. It spotlights something I hadn’t noticed: the government has been speaking in terms of “average dose” from the scanners.

Now, I’m a scientist, and I used to TA for the statistics courses in grad school, and I’m here to tell you that politicians and bureaucrats just LOVE the statistic known as the average, because it’s so handy for demagoguing an issue. You can select your data-set to say whatever you want to say. Consider the following sequence of numbers:

1, 1, 1, 10, 1.

The “average” is nearly 3. But how representative of the set is that? If you were to pick a number most typical or representative of the set, I doubt you’d pick anything close to 3. The singular value of 10 is clearly some sort of fluke. But the tendency of the average to be pulled in one direction or another by fluke data-points is one of its most useful features for those who wish to obscure the real meaning of data.

Keep that in mind when reading this guy’s blog post.

Those sons of bitches.


19 posted on 11/22/2010 9:40:39 PM PST by RightOnTheLeftCoast (Obama: running for re-election in '12 or running for Mahdi now? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdi])
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MamaDearest

My dentist tells me that unless there’s some good reason, we shouldn’t take X-rays more than one a year. Now these clowns want to blast people with radiation from head to foot.

What is frightening here is they are making no efforts to reassure anyone the radiation levels are safe. They won’t release information or allow independent tests.

Margaret Sanger and the rest of the population control nuts must be happy. The elitists fly around in private planes with no body scans for them, while the ignorant masses are poisoned with radiation and hopefully die younger.

Great way to solve SS crisis.


20 posted on 11/22/2010 9:41:02 PM PST by Beatthedrum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson