Getting Naked When Travelling

[Guest fountainhall]

This from yahoo's news site today -

 

A human X-ray machine which produces 'naked' images of passengers was introduced at an airport today, enabling staff to instantly spot any hidden weapons or explosives. The full body scanner, being trialled at Manchester Airport, will also show up any breast enlargements, false limbs, piercings, and a clear outline of passengers' private parts.

 

Some travellers might not want to be scanned because of the graphic nature of the images, bosses admit. They can refuse to undergo the virtual strip search at Terminal 2, opting for the traditional 'pat down' search instead. But the black and white image will only be seen by one officer in a remote location before it is deleted, Sarah Barrett, head of customer experience at the airport, said.

 

'Most of our customers do not like the traditional "pat down" search, they find it too intrusive, but they still want to be kept safe,' she explained.

 

The scanner, made by the firm RapiScan Systems, makes the check-in process much quicker for passengers, who will not have to remove their coats, shoes or belts. Frequent flyers do not need to worry about radiation from the low-level X-ray, she said, and a dental X-ray transmits 20,000 times more radiation.

 

'Passengers can go through this machine 5,000 times a year each without worrying, it is super safe and the amount of radiation transmitted is tiny,' Ms Barrett said.

 

The Department for Transport will decide whether to install them permanently at the end of the trial, which is expected to last for a year. Security officials in the United States have pioneered their use at New York and Los Angeles airports, and they are gradually being rolled out in other airports in the country.

 

I for one had no idea that these machines are already in operation in some US airports. Makes me think of a T-shirt I saw in Bhutan a couple of years ago - worn by the organiser of an exhibition of children's paintings