What does airport security see

She smiled and waved me through. November 9, Stuff like this: PC: Wikipedia. PC: TSA. Share this: Twitter Facebook Pinterest. Like this: Like Loading Byron York November 9, - pm I was a twice-weekly flyer for a number of years. Knowing airport security processes can help to make your travel experience more streamlined and efficient.

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Full-body scanners are used to detect threatening items and contraband such as weapons, explosives, and drugs under multiple layers of clothing. While there are a few different types of full-body scanners, the most common is the millimeter wave scanner. Full body scanners are now commonplace in the U. Those who opt out will be subject to a traditional pat down instead. While the scanners can process just two to three people per minute, a new type of rapid body scanner is currently being tested at Denver International Airport which takes less than a second.

A new type of scanner is currently being tested at Heathrow Airport that will hopefully speed the process up. More sophisticated scanning technology would eliminate the need for travelers to remove liquids, as well as electronic items and laptops, from their bags during the security process.

The airport official swabs the outside of your hand luggage liberally, before inserting the swab into a mysterious machine. Millimeter wave scanners employ millimeter wave imaging technology to bounce electromagnetic waves off the traveler to provide an animated image like a paper doll to detect where potential threats are located. Millimeter wave scanners have been in use in many airports since May The scanner processes an image by using colors to mark out any areas that may require further screening.

Millimetre wave scanners provide an alternative for people who are averse to pat-downs. Millimetre wave scanners only detect what is worn on the body and hidden under clothing.

The backscatter X-ray machine scans the body using ionizing radiation or X-rays deflected by the human body. However, the backscatter showed too many intimate details of the body allowing inspectors to see people virtually naked.

Backscatter machines have now been sacked in most airports of the world because of these explicit images and replaced with AIT scanners millimetre wave scanners. However, in major US, UK, and European airports where they remain in use, the officer viewing the image is in a separate area where they do not make direct contact with the scanned passenger.

Backscatter scanners can detect both metallic and non-metallic objects, ranging from guns to foods, drugs, plastics, and so on. According to JAMA Dermatology, it has been found that some items that pose no security threats are flagged by new airport body scanners that use radio frequencies. The major difference between the backscatter X-ray scanner and the millimeter wave scanner is that the former requires two pictures to be taken — a frontal and a rear picture.

While millimeter wave scanners produce a single image and emit far less energy making them a lot safer. The principle of X-ray examination is based on the varying atomic composition of different materials.

It explains why different atoms reflect or absorb X-rays differently. The intensity or exposure time of the X-ray radiation can be increased or a physical inspection carried out if the image of the content of the container is not clearly visible.

Therefore, to hide things from an airport scanner, the trick is to conceal the true identity of an object. For example, semi-liquid explosives could be put into toothpaste tubes and shampoo bottles, which is why from experience, inspection officials restrict such items from carry-on bags.

In most cases, X-rays pass easiest through light atoms hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon , and with more difficulty through heavier atoms like sulfur, iron, nickel, lead, gold, mercury, etc. Certain people use this information and try to disguise items like diamonds carbon by mixing them with a pack of scorched almonds or carbon material. Very dense materials normally block X-rays efficiently. Lead and tungsten are frequently used for hiding materials.

But of course, the suspicion of the agent is raised when a scanner detects this dense object in the luggage. A chunk of lead in a piece of luggage shows the passenger most likely has an ulterior motive and this may not end well in his favor. However, recent reports continue to stress the safety of the scanners.

One study states that the radiation from one scan is equivalent to the natural background emission a passenger receives during ten minutes on a flight. Currently, the country with the most body scanners is the United States. Although, the recent order by the Department for Transport demanding body scanners for all passengers traveling to the US could cause the scanners to start popping up across the Europe.

Over the past three years, the Manchester Airport has been using the backscatter scanner, but has decided to abandon the practice due to privacy invasion and the controversy over health risks. In the United States, the law is that you can opt out of the scan and be subject to the touching search instead. In contrast, the UK Department for Transport has decided that any passenger refusing to pass through the body scanner will not fly.