Europe bans ‘naked’ airport scanners over cancer fears
Europe bans ‘naked’ airport scanners over cancer fears
November 18, 2011
Source: Daily Mail
X-ray body scanners at airports have been banned by Brussels amid fears they could cause cancer.
Controversial ‘naked’ body scanners, already in use at Manchester Airport, could be withdrawn after EU chiefs warned that they could pose a health risk due to the radiation they emit.
The £80,000 security scanners, introduced to detect suspicious items hidden on passengers, have already been criticised as an invasion of privacy due to the apparent ‘naked’ image that they produce of travellers.
But the new information from the European Commission raises fears that the radiation from the machines could cause long-term health damage such as cancer.
The EC has halted all new trials of the machines while a safety report is compiled. A final decision about rolling out the scanners across Britain and the Continent will be made next year.
The decision comes after American academic Dr David Brenner warned last summer that he believed the scanner could deliver up to 20 times more radiation to the skin than previously thought – potentially increasing the risk of skin cancer.
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