Backscatter X-ray machines may or may not be carcinogenic. The European Union isn’t taking any chances, but the TSA is so confident in their safety that it likely won’t conduct the additional tests it promised the US Senate.
During his testimony at a US Senate hearing this month, TSA administrator John Pistole asserted that the agency would be willing to undertake independent evaluations of the controversial devices. “There are those who continue to express concerns [of backscatter technology], and so I want to do everything that I can to reassure those people that these machines are as safe as possible,” Pistole told CNN.
With the release of a draft report by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, however, Pistole has softened that position. “An inspector general report that is in draft form validates those prior studies, so that may suffice,” Pistole continued — despite internal TSA audits that have found calculation errors and missing data some of the test results. [CNN]
Image: AP