By Joelle Tessler
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- Travelers still getting used to removing their shoes in public and pouring shampoo into tiny bottles may soon have to adjust to something new in the airport security line -- giant machines that scan their bodies for anything a terrorist might use to cause harm during a flight.
High-tech, full-body scanning machines are already in use at a handful of airports, but they may become more common as officials around the world respond to the attempted attack on an airliner on Christmas Day. The Netherlands announced Wednesday the scanners would be used for all flights heading from Amsterdam to the United States, and an official in Nigeria later said that country planned to buy full-body scanners, too.
What exactly are these machines, and what are the drawbacks? Following are some questions and answers about the devices.
How do full-body scanners work?
The two main types of scanners are "millimeter wave" and "backscatter" machines. Millimeter wave units send radio waves over a person and produce a three-dimensional image by measuring the energy reflected back. Backscatter machines use low-level X-rays to create a two-dimensional image of the body.
the Cuff Links Tiffany exchangeWhat sorts of things can they find?
The machines are designed to uncover what a physical pat-down could turn up but a metal detector wouldn't find. That includes plastic or chemical explosives and nonmetallic weapons in a pocket or strapped to someone's body.
The machines also would find guns, knives and other metallic objects that would set off a metal detector.
What can't they find?
Generally, the machines can't find items stashed in a body cavity. So the scanners wouldn't stop at least one common smuggling method used by drug traffickers.
How common are they?
Because of fears that the scans infringe on travelers' dignity by revealing bodily contours, European officials generally have limited the machines to tests in airports or train stations.
In U.S. airports, the Transportation Security Administration has begun expanding the use of full-body scanning machines, although passengers can opt for a physical pat-down instead. The TSA has 40 in place, just bought 150 and plans to buy 300 more.
Six of the machines are being used instead of a metal detector at airports in Albuquerque, N.M.; Las Vegas; Miami; San Francisco; Salt Lake City; and Tulsa, Okla. The other 34 are used for secondary screening of people who set off a metal detector in Atlanta; Dallas/ Fort Worth; Denver; Detroit; Indianapolis; Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla.; Los Angeles; Phoenix; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; and two airports in the Washington area: Baltimore/Washington and Reagan National.
Is there a way to make the scans less revealing?
The technology has evolved to reduce the clarity of identifying details. The systems blur faces, or they produce body images that look like chalk outlines.
Amsterdam's airport is moving ahead with full-body scanners after trying new software that projects a stylized image -- Mont Blanc Watches rather than an actual picture -- onto a computer screen. It highlights the area of the body where objects are concealed in pockets or under the clothing.Other articles:
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