Re: Heathrow scanner experiences?

[ed () the7thbeer com]

> I am a bit worried, and I did Google around, but found no other people
> reporting the same. I did not go back to the scanner, since I couldn't
> reach the insecure area anymore.
>
> I wondered about the pain. AFAIK there are no vital organs on the
> right side. The liver, spleen and 'alvleesklier' (?) should be more
> to the left or lower. The only thing on the right side is the end of
> your intestines. That made me think that in fact they might have used
> a higher dose or a more targeted scan to check deeper into my body for
> hidden drugs or explosives or whatever.

You would have to receive a dose of greater than 100,000 mrem to notice
any adverse side effects within the time span you mention.  In all
probability, you would likely have to get into the 400,000+ mrem range to
notice it *that* quickly, really.  Ionizing radiation is nasty stuff as we
all know, but short of a serious fubar in the machine and its operation,
the chances of you getting an unacceptable dose are very, very, very low.
As a comparison, the average Chernobyl-area resident took about
40,000-50,000 mrem as a result of the accident.

Next time, avoid airline food and your GI tract will thank you for it. ;)

-ed