"Thus, while the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high," the scientists wrote.

They also said the devices were mostly untested and that the radiation could have a greater impact on the elderly, children, those with compromised immune systems, women with a genetic susceptibility to breast cancer or anyone more sensitive to the effects of radiation.


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration dismissed the concerns, saying in an October response to the letter that the equipment has all been rigorously evaluated and that tests show the effective dose to the skin is 89,000 times lower than the recommended annual dose limit for the general public.

"This technology has been available for nearly two decades and we have based our evaluation on scientific evidence and on the recommendations of recognized experts," John L. McCrohan, deputy director for technical and radiological initiatives with the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, and Karen R. Shelton Waters, deputy assistant administrator with the TSA, wrote in a letter.

According to CNN, Peter Rez, a professor of physics at Arizona State University, conducted his own independent evaluation of the technology. He said reported figures underestimate the dose, which though tiny, is equal to about one-fiftieth or one-one-hundredth of a chest X-ray.

But he said the possibility of malfunction was the real worry.

"The thing that worries me the most, is not what happens if the machine works as advertised, but what happens if it doesn't," he told CNN.

As of last month, around 189 backscatter devices and 152 millimeter-wave technology ones were installed at around 65 airports. TSA said by the end of next year they hope to have 1,000 up and running.

Passengers who opt out of the scans are subject to increased scrutiny and "enhanced pat-downs." On Saturday, John Tyner, a California software engineer, made headlines and earned tens of thousands of clicks for his YouTube video recorded on his cell-phone of a spat with security officials after he refused to undergo scans or the "enhanced" frisking.

Read DOTmed News' earlier report on the scan's risks.




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