After God held back the winds once more by confining the “underwear bomber’s” explosion to minimal damage, America is undergoing another increase in terrorism prevention. This time, it will be via full-body scanners in airports. Any technology that utilizes the type of energy that can “look through” physical masses carries a potential health threat to cell integrity. All privacy concerns aside, for the moment, we wonder just how safe are those scanners? Research reveals they might be something to be avoided.
According to Health Sciences Institute of Baltimore, the scanners use terahertz wave radiation (THz). The waves don't have enough energy to break chemical bonds . . . but according to a study from Los Alamos National Laboratory, THz waves create resonant effects that may interfere with DNA replication.
“A 2008 study from Israel came to similar conclusions. In the journal Radiation Research, the researchers note that low power density of THz radiation prompts instability in DNA. They write: "These findings, if verified, may suggest that such exposure may result in an increased risk of cancer."
What does this mean to us? It means we must be alert. It seems that once more, technology is being “embraced without adequate safety testing.”
Lots of questions arise. How safe is this research for vulnerable groups: children, fetuses, those who already have cancer or who have had it in the past, those with autoimmune diseases, etc. What about for those in relatively good health? There are no long-term safety studies, and the answers will come much slower than the machines, which are due in almost 200 airports by the end of 2010.
A full-body “pat down” might be offensive to you, but it might be preferable to a scan, if the choice is offered. Otherwise, you might want to consider alternative travel methods till the methodology is proved safe. Why risk possible DNA destabilization or cancer promotion?
Jean Handwerk
Amazing Discoveries
News Blog Writer
From Health Sciences Institute of Baltimore, January 25, 2010, VIEW SOURCE