Full Body Scanners In Airport Security

Should the Government implement the use of Full Body Scanners in airport security to mitigate terrorist threats?

During the past decade, America has been confronted with a number of terrorist actions that have threatened the security of this country. September 11 2001, was one of the first major tragic events that our country has witnessed. In a series of coordinated terrorist attacks, several members of al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners. Two of the airlines were forced to crash into the World Trade Center in New York City. The third airline was crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. The fourth airline crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after some of the passengers and crews attempted to retain control of the plane. There
airports (“What is TSA”). These terrorist actions have resulted in unprecedented security measures in airports in the United States and around the world. For example, sharp object such as nail clippers, scissors, and box cutters are now prohibited on board the airliner. Additionally, the shoe bomber attempted attack resulted in the new requirement of all airline passengers having to remove their shoes for inspection before boarding a flight. Furthermore, the liquid bomb explosives attempt led to the banning to all liquids and gels and the adoption of 3-1-1 rule (“Make Your Trip Better Using 3-1-1”). This rule limits carry-on liquids on board the aircraft to be contained in bottles 3.4 ounces or less, stored in a 1 quart-sized bag, and 1 bag per passenger. Finally, the recent underwear bomber attempt has served as the catalyst for the use of the full-body scanners in U.S. airports and around the world. A full-body scanner is a device that creates an image of a person 's nude body through their clothing to look for hidden objects without physically removing their clothes or making physical contact (“Full body scanner”). The widespread implementation of these scanners has evoked a public controversy between the right to privacy, and the need to enforce security to combat terrorist
In particular, the government has published information on the internet to assure the public that the radiation dose from a scanner is so low that it presents an extremely small risk to any individual. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): (a) in 42 minutes of ordinary living, a person receives more radiation from naturally occurring radioactive sources in the environment than from one full-body scan; (b) a person receives less radiation from one full-body scan than from 2 minutes of airline flight; (c) it would take more than 1000 scans in one year to exceed the annual radiation dose limit for people screening established by the governing radiation safety organizations (“Products for Security”). Furthermore, in response to a letter from several prominent University of California, San Francisco scientists who have expressed concerns about the potential serious health risk of full-body scanners (Sedat), the FDA described in great detail the thorough investigation of the technology performed by several groups of experts in radiation safety issues (McCrohan). The conclusion of this investigation was that “the potential health risks from a full-body screening with a general-use x-ray security system are miniscule” (McCrohan). To address the concerns of travelers and privacy groups