Re: Stop the panic on air security - err, no, irradiate it

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Ethan Ackerman <eackerma () u washington edu>
> Date: January 14, 2010 5:09:43 PM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: Re: [IP] Re: Stop the panic on air security - err, no,  
> irradiate it
> Reply-To: eackerma () u washington edu

> Greetings Dave,
> An anecdote IPers may find enlightening...
>
> As a result of the original radiation email I sent you I've received a
> large number of intelligent off-list emails very similar to Gene
> Spafford's below.  These emails all emphasize just-how-small-a-risk
> the radiation exposure from a airport x-ray is, and how, say, working
> by a brick building or flying for just 2 minutes exceeds this risk.
> One email even highlighted that it made more sense from a radiation
> avoidance perspective to build a layer of lead shielding onto the
> plane than to avoid a screening.
>
> Exactly - and yet that's just how far we're going to fight such a
> small a risk with this onerous, invasive screening system. If we were
> truly worried about airline safety, there are millions of better ways
> to save lives.  The radiation danger from [X-ray scans OR airline
> terrorism] is so so so so small that it is dwarfed by all the other
> daily risks of living.
>
> As a safety precaution, x-ray scans are just so far down on the
> lives-saved list that it actually makes more sense to build a lead
> airplane.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 4:02 PM, David Farber <dave () farber net> wrote:
> > Begin forwarded message:
> > From: Gene Spafford <spaf () purdue edu>
> > Date: January 14, 2010 3:14:33 PM EST
> > To: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
> > Cc: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> > Subject: Re: [IP] re Stop the panic on air security - err, no,  
> > irradiate it
> >
> >
> > Here is a site about the radiation exposure.  Note that the  
> > machines that are glass "elevators" don't use ioning radiation at  
> > all.
> > This matches what I have seen at other sites -- I get more  
> > radiation from flying every year than any incidental exposure from  
> > screening.
> > http://newsletter.onespot.com/health/2009/12/30/a/555857956-what-is-the-radiation-exposure/ 
> >    (then follow the link for the blog post)
> >
> >
> > Archives



-------------------------------------------
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com