Airport Scanners

[AmyB1978]

Would you go through an airport scanner during your 2nd trimester?

I am flying (as long as everything continues to go well with this pregnancy) to visit my family (it is about a 3 hour flight) for Thanksgiving. Our local airport uses body scanners, but they use the millimeter scanners which are supposedly safer than the backscatter scanners.

I am trying to figure out if I should just go through it or ask for a pat down. I have a history of sexual abuse so I am thinking the pat down/stress/anxiety might be worse for the baby then the actual scanner. That being said, I do not want to put my baby at risk. I know they SAY the scanners are safe, and from what I have read I feel pretty okay about it (Especially since it would be one time while pregnant and it is the millimeter wave kind not the backscatter kind) but I can't figure out what I want to do.

Any advice would be great. If you have opted out I would love to know how you asked, whom you asked, and how it went.

Thanks so much!

 

[MindUtopia]

I've been threw scanners a bunch of times already as a I had 3 weeks of traveling for work during 1st tri. It's safe. Supposedly, it's equal to the same radiation as 6 minutes of flying at 35,000 feet. I did think about just doing the pat down to not even take any chances, but like you wasn't sure I'd be comfortable with it because of my past. I've gone through pat downs many, many times when traveling in other countries (in parts of Asia and the Middle East, it's common to get scanned and patted down in airports, train stations, entering high security zones, etc.). That never bothered me, but it wasn't very invasive and as I was in the U.S. I know the TSA can be a little too touchy feely. You just never know when something might suddenly trigger something that makes you feel uncomfortable, so like you, I figured the scanner was safer than the extra stress. Just do whatever you're comfortable with though, and know the scanner is safe.

 

[gryphongrl]

Hi! I always opt out of the scanning even when I'm not pregnant. If they gesture for you to go into the machine, just say politely, "I opt out". Then the guy will say something to convince you ("you know you'll have to get a pat down") and just repeat, "no thank you, I opt out". That's it.

I too share your pain about the personal history. I kind of go the other way on it. To me, the woman patting me down is less offensive than the idea that the TSA may have a saved image of me naked. Now I know they say they don't save the images, but it did turn out in one case in Florida that they'd saved thousands of images. Seeing as the TSA is not exactly stocked with the best and the brightest, I don't trust them. I have a very, very hard time with an authority figure making me go into that machine (due to specifics about when I was assaulted). Usually the pat down is really, really polite. Like, painfully polite. I used to fly for a living and have had ONE rough pat down in several years.

I'm not a crazy conspiracy theorist, but the government doesn't have a super great track record of being forthright on these things (rumors of cancer clusters in TSA workers, that kind of thing) and I know for certain that the pat-down causes no harm... so I go with that one.

 

[sevenofnine]

I always opt out, regardless of pregnancy. Personally I don't feel very comfortable with any aspect of the scanner.

But I can understand your reasoning, since you have a history of sexual abuse.

 

[amjon]

I would NEVER go through one of those even if I wasn't pregnant. They have been banned in other countries for safety concerns. Just opt for the pat down and you won't have to worry about (if you're even asked). (As for the pat down, I opted out last time I flew out of ACY and it was nothing really. They just run the pad thing on your arms, body, and between your legs, but don't really feel around at all, then on the top of your pant band (on the inside part, but didn't feel inappropriate if you get what I mean). It's honestly not all that bad. If it keeps your baby safe it's worth it.)

Oh, I almost forgot, I had an airline pilot tell me they don't have pregnant women go through them (or children). So if they ask just tell them you're pregnant and they may tell you just to go through the other one (if they don't notice on their own). I did that in MCO with my last pregnancy (and was WAY too early to really show) and he apologized and told me just to go through the other. It's worth a shot. ACY wasn't as nice though and did make me get the pat down.

 

[Tashadb]

I've traveled quite a bit during 2nd trimester and I always choose to go through the scanners. I find it's quicker, less evasive and as far as safety goes, it is not that dangerous as it is a very small amount of exposure to your body (this is my personal view of course and depends on where you travel from/to).

 

[Sommerfugl]

I'm not sure the difference between the 'millimeter wave and the backscatter kind'
but I researched the 'full body scanners' that they currently used at our closest airport and decided there was no way I was going through it. Apparently they have been banned in the EU but a couple of UK airports are allowed to continue using them until the end of the year.
Anyway, here, you're not allowed to opt for a pat down instead, apparently if you're selected for scanning you either go through it or you don't fly. If I'd have had the option I'd have gone for the pat down.

So we opted for a 2 day road trip to Norway instead of a couple of hours flight....
I'm glad we did, it was actually fun.

 

[EmmaRea]

I was flying just two weeks ago. I asked for pat downs each time I went through security, and while I thought it would be humiliating and a struggle with TSA, it was quick and easy and relatively non-invasive. They asked me why I didn't want to go through the scanners, I told them I was pregnant, they all nodded understandingly (every time!) and passed me off to the side to be patted down. The women doing the pat down were kind and gentle, were even gentler on my tender abdomen, and one was even asking me about my pregnancy, if it was my first and if I was excited. Just chitchat. I was a lot more comfortable than I thought I would be. And honestly? I thought I was treated as more of a decent human being than a criminal. I don't know why, but I always feel like a criminal passing through security. What happens if I accidentally set the alarms off by forgetting my belt, etc.? Not a problem with the pat down!
It's not a perfect system, and no one can guarantee the kind of agent response you'll get. But I read horror stories before I went, and it turned out I was unnecessarily worried. The agents I encountered were really very nice. I didn't feel violated at all. They used the backs of their hands in sensitive areas, and certainly didn't 'dwell'. I completely understand why you would want to go through the scanners, and also why you wouldn't want to go through the scanners. My experience was positive, and I hope yours is, too.

 

[amjon]

To those of you saying, "it's just a tiny amount" remember that tiny amounts added up become big amounts and it doesn't take much to damage fragile DNA and ANY changes early on can become HUGE changes later as it will be in almost every cell. The dentist refused to do x-rays on me when I was pregnant and needed a root canal because of the chance of exposure and the amounts they use are TINY (and directed at your mouth, not anywhere near your abdomen). You are already going to get some flying that can't be avoided, why would you want to add to that?

 

[Liesje]

When I flew out of Canada they didn't have a problem with me opting out but when I flew home from the US they told me if I didn't go through no one in my party would be allowed to get on the plane. When I asked to speak to the supervisor they said the same thing and that if I missed my plane I'd be responsible for paying for another flight.
I still feel pretty guilty but my baby turned out fine (I hope?)

 

[Tashadb]

To those of you saying, "it's just a tiny amount" remember that tiny amounts added up become big amounts and it doesn't take much to damage fragile DNA and ANY changes early on can become HUGE changes later as it will be in almost every cell. The dentist refused to do x-rays on me when I was pregnant and needed a root canal because of the chance of exposure and the amounts they use are TINY (and directed at your mouth, not anywhere near your abdomen). You are already going to get some flying that can't be avoided, why would you want to add to that?

Like I said, the small amount of radiation that you get from a scanner was my PERSONAL view point. Although if you want to be technical about it, the amount of radiation is equivalent to that of the amount found in a banana or equal to that of 2 minutes flying. We encounter radiation particles in everyday life so the amount you would encounter while going through a scan or through flying would not damage DNA in second trimester (unless you went through a couple thousand times). Btw medical /dental x-rays are not the same type of radiation that is used in backscatter airport scanners. Whether someone wants to opt out or go through the scanner is a personal choice, no one should have to feel guilty because of what they choose to do.

 

[elohcin]

I just have to say that I think it's cool so many people here DON'T like the scanners! I always felt like the odd one out, so great to see others feeling the same way.

 

[irun123]

Would you go through an airport scanner during your 2nd trimester?

I am flying (as long as everything continues to go well with this pregnancy) to visit my family (it is about a 3 hour flight) for Thanksgiving. Our local airport uses body scanners, but they use the millimeter scanners which are supposedly safer than the backscatter scanners.

I am trying to figure out if I should just go through it or ask for a pat down. I have a history of sexual abuse so I am thinking the pat down/stress/anxiety might be worse for the baby then the actual scanner. That being said, I do not want to put my baby at risk. I know they SAY the scanners are safe, and from what I have read I feel pretty okay about it (Especially since it would be one time while pregnant and it is the millimeter wave kind not the backscatter kind) but I can't figure out what I want to do.

Any advice would be great. If you have opted out I would love to know how you asked, whom you asked, and how it went.

Thanks so much!

Low Power Non-Ionizing Radiation Can Be Dangerous
One hundred meters (a football field length) away from cell phone towers, the power density of the radiation is 0.001 mW/cm2. This is much less power than is projected by the TSA’s microwave scanners. “A German study found a high rate of cancer developing on average eight years earlier than national averages if you live within 1,200 feet of a cell tower.” Spanish researchers found significant illness increases at a radiation exposure of only .00011 mW/cm2 to .00019 mW/cm2 from cell phone towers which is thousands of times below the FCC standard for microwave radiation safety.
In a 2010 report by the California Institute of technology, titled “Impact of low intensity millimetre waves on cell functions,” scientists tested the effects of millimeter wave radiation that is over 1000 times below the government’s safe dose on mice cells. They tested doses of radiation around 0.0003 mW/cm2. Far less power than the TSA’s millimeter wave scanner uses. These tests were done at 60GHZ and in short radiation doses there were merely 5 seconds long. This is the first, and perhaps only experiment where real time changes from millimeter wave radiation was tested. The study showed that rat neurons changed their firing rate, and the cell membranes changed their level of permeability. The recent study concluded that “We have only begun to evaluate the real-time effects of millimetre waves on cellular functions. Further work is certainly needed, and we hope that the results presented in this Letter will catalyse governmental bodies and private foundations overseeing the safety and applications of millimetre-wave technologies.”

As of yet, real time human effects of low power radiation has neither been tested, nor observed. Yet the TSA negligently, and fraudulently insists the scanner is safe not because it has been tested to be safe, but because science does not understand what mechanism is involved, or what the biological effects would even be by these low doses of high frequency radiation were even tested.

 

[irun123]

Low Power Non-Ionizing Radiation Can Be Dangerous
One hundred meters (a football field length) away from cell phone towers, the power density of the radiation is 0.001 mW/cm2. This is much less power than is projected by the TSA’s microwave scanners. “A German study found a high rate of cancer developing on average eight years earlier than national averages if you live within 1,200 feet of a cell tower.” Spanish researchers found significant illness increases at a radiation exposure of only .00011 mW/cm2 to .00019 mW/cm2 from cell phone towers which is thousands of times below the FCC standard for microwave radiation safety.
In a 2010 report by the California Institute of technology, titled “Impact of low intensity millimetre waves on cell functions,” scientists tested the effects of millimeter wave radiation that is over 1000 times below the government’s safe dose on mice cells. They tested doses of radiation around 0.0003 mW/cm2. Far less power than the TSA’s millimeter wave scanner uses. These tests were done at 60GHZ and in short radiation doses there were merely 5 seconds long. This is the first, and perhaps only experiment where real time changes from millimeter wave radiation was tested. The study showed that rat neurons changed their firing rate, and the cell membranes changed their level of permeability. The recent study concluded that “We have only begun to evaluate the real-time effects of millimetre waves on cellular functions. Further work is certainly needed, and we hope that the results presented in this Letter will catalyse governmental bodies and private foundations overseeing the safety and applications of millimetre-wave technologies.”

As of yet, real time human effects of low power radiation has neither been tested, nor observed. Yet the TSA negligently, and fraudulently insists the scanner is safe not because it has been tested to be safe, but because science does not understand what mechanism is involved, or what the biological effects would even be by these low doses of high frequency radiation were even tested.

 

[Jcliff]

Most places, if you are obviously pregnant, they wont make you go through it. They will just let you pass through. Sometimes they may pat you down a tiny bit, but what is a pregnant women going to try on a plane? But if you are not obviously pregnant just tell them you are pregnant and would prefer to not go through.

 

[amjon]

When I flew out of Canada they didn't have a problem with me opting out but when I flew home from the US they told me if I didn't go through no one in my party would be allowed to get on the plane. When I asked to speak to the supervisor they said the same thing and that if I missed my plane I'd be responsible for paying for another flight.
I still feel pretty guilty but my baby turned out fine (I hope?)

They CANNOT require you to go through the radiation machines, the regular metal detectors, yes, but not the "advanced screening machines". They can require you to have a patdown instead though. I would complain to the airport/ TSA that they were not following their own policies.

 

[Calibeachbum]

I have flown twice since being preggo and I got a pat down both times. Those things are banned in some countries. I think they are going to come out in 10 years and say how bad they are for you. I could go into details but you get my point. The pat down is not bad.