I discovered yesterday on my way home from the Wise Traditions seminar that I had unknowingly received a bon voyage blast of radiation from a body scanner on my way out of town via Tampa International Airport.
A radiation expert that I was chatting up in the van on the way to Dallas airport yesterday clued me in.
Apparently, some TSA agents are now flat out lying to airline passengers about the machines they operate.
I never got the memo.
I have to admit that I haven’t been keeping up with the roll-out of body scanner machines across the United States over the past year. Â I knew some of the larger hubs had them but had not read or heard anywhere in my local community that Tampa International now has them too.
So, on my way through security last Thursday I wasn’t anticipating anything different at the security check.
As I dutifully removed my shoes, I first sensed something was very wrong when I saw the big security box that people were walking through after stepping inside and placing their feet on the appropriate spots and putting their hands in the air.
I figured that must be a body scanner so I told the TSA agent when it was my turn that I wanted a pat-down instead.
“We don’t do pat-downs here”, he said.
“This machine here doesn’t have any radiation – if it did, I wouldn’t be standing so close“, he assured me.
Skeptical and taken aback but the TSA agent’s answer, I went ahead and proceeded through the big box to be checked.
Big mistake. Â Big HUGE mistake.
So, after the conference on the way home, the radiation expert I was talking to in the shuttle told me that the big box that I had stepped into was indeed a body scanner and that I had received a not so small dose of radiation as a thank you for my lemming-like behavior.
Sure enough, when I arrived at Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, I talked to the baggage check-in agent and he told me that yes, Dallas has body scanners and that you can, of course, choose a pat-down if you like.
When I arrived at my terminal’s security point, the machine used was the exact same box like the one I walked through in Tampa International. Â The people went inside and stood exactly as I had and put their hands in the air the same way.
When it was my turn to be checked, I requested a pat-down.
“Of course, that is your choice”, said the TSA agent.
She proceeded to give me a manual pat-down, which I have to say was no big deal at all. Â At no time, did I feel uncomfortable or violated in any way.
So, what happened at TIA and why in the world did that TSA agent so unlawfully mislead me? Â Why did I receive such a completely different answer at Tampa International Airport and at Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport?
My thought is that the TSA agent believed 100% what he was telling me. Â I did not sense or see any body language that indicated that he knew he was lying. Â I think the man was told an untruth from his superior or someone else at TSA and is simply passing on the lies to airline passengers.
The important takeaway of this post is BEWARE. Â Be prepared for lies from TSA when you travel and when in doubt, insist on a pat-down.
I am now on the hunt for some black algae which will apparently release that radiation from my body. Â Any tips?
UPDATE: The program TSA Precheck is now available for those travelers who wish to avoid x-ray body scanners and avoid long security lines.
I know this is an older post so I’m not sure if I’ll get a response but I went through an airport scanner a few weeks ago before I found out I was pregnant. Now I’m worried about it! I was about 4 weeks at the time I went through the scanner. I’m not sure if I can safely take herbs to get rid of the radiation. I’m almost 7 weeks pregnant now.
CMR, talk to your Dr or midwife before adding any new medication/supplements while you’re pregnant to be sure that they are safe and won’t interact with anything else you might be taking. This is good practice normally, but even more important for those who are pregnant.
Cheers!
I also took some cod liver oil with me on a flight and
They scanned it. Wondering if it is still safe to take…
Amy
I have been reading all the comments and am concerned about something. I recently flew and carried on a weekend’s worth of cod liver oil, which went through the bag scanner. Is it safe to take? Or should I just forgo the oil for the weekend? Also, I will definitely be opting out of the scanner when I fly back! Thanks so much for the info!
There is an “Opt out” law. You have the right to opt out. When my husband and i recently opted out they said it could take 30 mins to find a male employee for my husband and a female employee for me. I looked them straight in the eye and in a friendly way said ” I have plenty of time and i don’t mind waiting.” In less than 3 minutes there was someone there for both of us. HAH! They just didn’t want to go through the effort. They asked why we wanted to opt out. I didn’t bother with the health reasons and thought it would fall on deaf ears so I said (which is also true) that I didn’t think anyone had a right to seesuch private parts of me in such details except my husband. When assured they don’t keep the pictures I repeated what I said and they got the point. I was very nice about it and thanked her for accomodating us. Hope this helps.
I always opt out and I’ve just started opting-out my liquids: coconut oil for my coffee and deodorant, mag oil, iodine, toothpaste and colloidial silver. They don’t like it but I tell them I have to ingest this stuff and I don’t want it irradiated. They take the liquids back and swab the outsides of the containers to make sure there is no explosive residue. I’m going to opt-out my vitamins next flight as well.
I have a website RadiationCausesCancer.com where you can buy a tshirt that has that written on the back. I just got mine and I will wear it next time I fly. I fly 6-8 times a month right now and I’m hoping it generates some questions. The TSA employees and the other passengers have no idea about radiation. The site just has one page (so far) which is a report by the American Cancer Society outlining the many ways radiation causes cancer. If anyone goes to that site and starts opting out because of that tshirt, it will be worth it!
I heard that occasionally a TSA agent will wear a dosimeter to work hidden under his or her clothes. Everyone who’s done that has quit.
Iodine protects you from radiation. This is what they give workers at nuclear plants. I take about 30 mg a day.
My understanding is that, unless you consume something that is radioactive, radiation passes thru you, like a bullet. It doesn’t stay in your body. There’s no “getting rid of it.” It’s already gone.
The damage done by radiation happens as it’s going thru you. It changes your body at the cellular level. Radiation is like little tiny bullets passing thru your body, tearing up stuff.
Can you heal from that? The body is pretty amazing. We heal from some pretty hideous illness! Why not radiation damage?
Security at the airport makes me sick. TSA staff members at my airport look more like criminals than people who are supposed to protect us, to be honest. I have had my luggage broken into in their hands which makes me wonder if they can’t keep my t-shirts safe, I really doubt they can do anything about my personal security. It is my firm belief that use of those scanners are solely for financial benefits to the manufacturers, not our safety. I believe the new scanners are banned in the EU.
It is sad to see what is becoming of this country… a little bit at a time…
Diana
Sadly, it never occurred to me that those machines exposed me to radiation. The next time I flew I’d have gone blissfully through the box without so much as a thought! Thank you very much for sharing your experience!
Before news of the scanner thing really broke I walked through one with no knowledge that I had done so at the airport in Kauai, HI. They should have to post a sign, I think. I’m not OK with the images or the radiation.