Body Scanners And Tampons: What Airport Security Sees

Airport body scanners are a common feature of security checks, but what do they see, and can they detect tampons? The short answer is no—airport body scanners cannot see tampons or anything inside the body. These scanners use Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) and millimeter wave imaging to detect potential threats, including metallic and non-metallic items, in a matter of seconds. While the technology has evolved over the years, addressing privacy and health concerns, the current scanners provide a generic avatar image of the human body, ensuring privacy while maintaining security.

Body scanners use Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT)

Millimetre wave imaging involves sending millimetre waves towards a passenger's body. These waves pass through clothing and reflect off the skin and any concealed items, creating an image that is interpreted by the machine. If the waves hit something suspicious, a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) will investigate further. Otherwise, passengers can pass through the security checkpoint without a pat-down or physical contact.

AIT scanners are safe and widely accepted as an alternative to full-body pat-downs. They use non-ionizing radiation, a type of radiation that humans are exposed to every day at low levels. The energy emitted by millimetre wave technology is 10,000 times less than what is permitted by cellphone standards.

The body scanners provide a nondescript avatar image of the human anatomy, ensuring passenger privacy. This generic human form, which looks like a gingerbread man or paper doll, is used regardless of the passenger's gender, height, or body type. Passengers can see the viewing monitor throughout the scanning process.

The AIT scanners cannot see anything inside a passenger's body, including tampons or other items. They also do not pick up on size, weight, or height.

Scanners use millimetre wave technology

Millimetre wave scanners come in two varieties: active and passive. Active scanners direct millimetre wave energy at the subject and interpret the reflected energy. Passive systems create images using only ambient radiation and radiation emitted from the human body or objects.

The first millimetre-wave full-body scanner was developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington. The machine was patented in the 1990s, with research and development support provided by the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Millimetre wave technology is ideal for scanning because the waves are large relative to natural and synthetic fibres, allowing them to pass through most materials. The waves are also non-ionising, meaning they do not have enough energy to alter the structure of biological molecules.

The scanning process involves removing all items from your pockets, including your belt, jewellery, lanyards and phone. You then enter the imaging portal and raise your arms as the antennas rotate around your body. The scan takes less than 10 seconds and is not painful or embarrassing.

The resulting image is a 3D, black-and-white, whole-body silhouette of the subject. The software employed by the scanner is called Automated Target Recognition (ATR), which detects threats and highlights them for easy identification. ATR technology can identify liquids, gels, plastics, powders, metals, ceramics, explosives, drugs and money.

Scanners cannot see inside the body

The technology used in body scanners varies, but the most common type is the millimeter-wave scanner, which uses non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. This technology operates at a lower frequency than visible light and is considered safe, as it does not generate ionizing radiation. Millimeter-wave scanners create a 3D image of the person's body, which is sent to a remote monitor for analysis. They are effective at detecting threats and are widely used in airports and other security settings.

Another type of body scanner is the X-ray-based scanner, which includes backscatter X-ray and transmission X-ray variants. These scanners use ionizing radiation to create images of the body and can detect objects hidden under clothing or in body cavities. However, due to health and privacy concerns, they have been banned in some countries.

It's important to note that while body scanners can detect objects on the body, they do not show detailed images of a person's anatomy. Privacy protections have been implemented to ensure that only generic outlines of the human body are displayed during screening, protecting the privacy of individuals undergoing the scan.

In summary, while body scanners are effective security tools, they have limitations and cannot see inside the body. Their use is regulated to balance security needs with privacy and health concerns.

Scanners show a generic avatar, not the person's body

Airport body scanners use Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) for full-body scans. This is a type of millimetre-wave scanner that detects a wide range of metallic and non-metallic threats in a matter of seconds. The machines send millimetre waves towards a passenger's body. These waves go through clothing and reflect off the skin and any concealed items, bouncing back an image that is interpreted by the machine.

The body scanners provide a nondescript avatar image of the human anatomy. This generic human form looks a bit like a gingerbread man or paper doll. It is used to ensure passenger privacy while maintaining security effectiveness. The avatar is accompanied by a green 'clear' or red 'stop and check' signal. If the machine detects something in a person's pocket, for instance, the machine will put an alarm note in the paper doll's groin region so the officer knows where to search. Passengers can see everything the officers see on the screen.

The machines do not show nipples or genitalia, and they do not pick up size, weight or height. They are not capable of scanning what is inside a person's body. They are designed to detect items that could be potential threats and are not looking at a person's physical body.

Scanners are safe

Today's body scanners are safe, but there was a time when they may not have been. Between 2009 and 2013, the TSA used Rapiscan backscatter machines, which produced a stream of low-energy X-rays. People were worried that this could increase radiation exposure. However, these machines were removed from all airports in 2013 due to privacy and health concerns.

The newer AIT scanners now used in airports employ millimeter-wave imaging, a special type of microwave that is not an X-ray. We are exposed to this type of non-ionizing radiation every day at low levels. When exposure to non-ionizing waves is too high, a person may experience tissue damage, but millimeter waves emit much less radiation than this.

"Passengers don't have anything to worry about. The AIT scanners are safe," says TSA spokesperson R. Carter Langston. "The energy emitted by millimeter-wave technology is 10,000 times less than what is permitted by the standard cellphone."

In addition to being safe, the body scanners are also designed to protect passenger privacy. They provide a nondescript avatar image of the human anatomy, and do not pick up details such as nipples, genitalia, size, weight, or height.

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