Peter Rez, a physics professor at Arizona State University in Tempe, did his own calculations and found the exposure to be about one-fiftieth to one-hundredth the amount of a standard chest X-ray. He calculated the risk of getting cancer from a single scan at about 1 in 30 million, “which puts it somewhat less than being killed by being struck by lightning in any one year,” he told me.
While the risk of getting a fatal cancer from the screening is minuscule, it’s about equal to the probability that an airplane will get blown up by a terrorist, he added. “So my view is there is not a case to be made for deploying them to prevent such a low probability event.”
If Americans thought that these measures would in any way actually stop a terrorist attack, they probably wouldn’t be so upset about the whole thing. As it is, I’m glad I’m not flying any time soon.
Also, it’s nice to see Americans united in drawing a line anywhere on privacy invasion.
Hmm: Airports can use private security instead of the TSA. Though the government still has all the control since they are paying for it and regulating it.
Mica, one of the authors of the original TSA bill, has recently written to the heads of more than 150 airports nationwide suggesting they opt out of TSA screening. “When the TSA was established, it was never envisioned that it would become a huge, unwieldy bureaucracy which was soon to grow to 67,000 employees,” Mica writes. “As TSA has grown larger, more impersonal, and administratively top-heavy, I believe it is important that airports across the country consider utilizing the opt-out provision provided by law.”
He’s either naive or stupid if he really is surprised by this development. On the other hand, the stupid and naive are a significant proportion of the country and deserve representation in the government.
Not So Fast 