Has anybody with a toddler & pregnant gone through the airport body scanners?

[Anonymous]

I'll be with my toddler and am visibly pregnant with #2 (6 mo.) and will be flying from an airport with one of those new very detailed body scanners. I understand the security measure, but are there any exceptions? Is it for everyone or just does TSA just pull random people?
I understand that a pat-down is the alternative, but is it less "invasive"? I'm very concerned for my 2 year old. I'm concerned for my pregnancy too as I can imagine that the dose of radiation is much higher than your typical metal detector.

Hoping to hear some been there done that stories with the body scanners.

[Anonymous]

I just traveled and it was the expectation that everybody go through the full body scanner (this was both at Reagan and Houston airports). I am pregnant but in my first trimester, haven't told anybody at work, and was on a business trip (with colleagues) so I did not want to make a big deal. I asked one of the security individuals whether there were any known safety concerns for pregnant women and he said no (said it was safe), though I realize that doesn't say much. It bothers me that there is not more information about the scanners or how you can opt out. However, my understanding is that you can opt out, you just have to go through a more extensive pat down. If radiation is your concern (not privacy), then that's probably the thing to do.

[Anonymous]

From TSA's website:


Advanced imaging technology is safe and meets national health and safety standards.

Backscatter technology was evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).

All results confirmed that the radiation doses for the individuals being screened, operators, and bystanders were well below the dose limits specified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

For comparison, the energy projected by millimeter wave technology is thousands of times less than a cell phone transmission. A single scan using backscatter technology produces exposure equivalent to two minutes of flying on an airplane.

Note: Advanced imaging technology screening is safe for all passengers, including children, pregnant women, and individuals with medical implants.

http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/safety.shtm

[Anonymous]

Also, only passengers who can stand still long enough for the screening are eligible, so unless your toddler is less squirmy than mine, DC will not be eligible. TSA does not separate parents and children, so you would also not be eligible. The alternative is a patdown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just traveled and it was the expectation that everybody go through the full body scanner (this was both at Reagan and Houston airports). I am pregnant but in my first trimester, haven't told anybody at work, and was on a business trip (with colleagues) so I did not want to make a big deal. I asked one of the security individuals whether there were any known safety concerns for pregnant women and he said no (said it was safe), though I realize that doesn't say much. It bothers me that there is not more information about the scanners or how you can opt out. However, my understanding is that you can opt out, you just have to go through a more extensive pat down. If radiation is your concern (not privacy), then that's probably the thing to do.

It is not recommended to fly until you are 14 weeks because you could miscarry. Although with my other pregnancies I waited to tell my employer, I let them know this time because they wanted me to fly. I simply let them know that I would be happy to drive if someone else could not go. So instead of sending someone else I just drove.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From TSA's website:


Advanced imaging technology is safe and meets national health and safety standards.

Backscatter technology was evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).

All results confirmed that the radiation doses for the individuals being screened, operators, and bystanders were well below the dose limits specified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

For comparison, the energy projected by millimeter wave technology is thousands of times less than a cell phone transmission. A single scan using backscatter technology produces exposure equivalent to two minutes of flying on an airplane.

Note: Advanced imaging technology screening is safe for all passengers, including children, pregnant women, and individuals with medical implants.

http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/safety.shtm

From http://dontscan.us

Backscatter X-ray uses ionizing radation, a known cumulative health hazard, to produce images of passengers bodies. Children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with defective DNA repair mechanisms are considered to be especially susceptible to the type of DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation. Also at high risk are those who have had, or currently have, skin cancer. Ionizing radiation's effects are cumulative, meaning that each time you are exposed you are adding to your risk of developing cancer. Since the dosage of radiation from the backscatter X-ray machines is absorbed almost entirely by the skin and tissue directly under the skin, averaging the dose over the whole body gives an inaccurate picture of the actual harm. In their letter of concern, the UCSF faculty members noted that "the dose to the skin could be dangerously high". The eyes are particularly susceptible to the effect of radiation, and as one study found allowing the eyes to be exposed to radiation can lead to an increased incidence of cataracts.

Another type of device uses millimeter wave technology, which if improperly calibrated can cause burns. Less is known about the potential health risks of the millimeter wave devices than those of backscatter X-ray, and as with the backscatter devices, no independent testing has been conducted.

http://dontscan.us/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It is not recommended to fly until you are 14 weeks because you could miscarry. Although with my other pregnancies I waited to tell my employer, I let them know this time because they wanted me to fly. I simply let them know that I would be happy to drive if someone else could not go. So instead of sending someone else I just drove.

Really???? I flew three times before 12 weeks and saw my Dr. twice and no one ever told me this! I had NO idea!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just traveled and it was the expectation that everybody go through the full body scanner (this was both at Reagan and Houston airports). I am pregnant but in my first trimester, haven't told anybody at work, and was on a business trip (with colleagues) so I did not want to make a big deal. I asked one of the security individuals whether there were any known safety concerns for pregnant women and he said no (said it was safe), though I realize that doesn't say much. It bothers me that there is not more information about the scanners or how you can opt out. However, my understanding is that you can opt out, you just have to go through a more extensive pat down. If radiation is your concern (not privacy), then that's probably the thing to do.

It is not recommended to fly until you are 14 weeks because you could miscarry. Although with my other pregnancies I waited to tell my employer, I let them know this time because they wanted me to fly. I simply let them know that I would be happy to drive if someone else could not go. So instead of sending someone else I just drove.

Not recommended by who? What about flying causes a miscarriage? This sounds ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I'd avoid the scanners, but I'm a little on the paranoid side about that kinda stuff.

In reality, it seems like it's probably pretty safe. I don't always take what's posted on the TSA/FDA sites as the ultimate truth, but the consensus seems that it's fine.

Try this link:
http://blog.geekpress.com/2010/11/radiation-risks-from-tsa-scanners.html

[Anonymous]

There is NO statistical relationship between flying and miscarriage. It's just that most miscarriages occur in the first trimester, and if you happened to have flown around that time, you might think it was related to the flights. I had infertility for many years, and even the most conservative REs are ok with flying.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hijack -- anyone know if DCA uses these? I'm in my first trimester and planning on the pat-down in a few weeks.

BTW, flying does NOT cause miscarriages. I have seen and read that you may want to avoid flying in your first trimester, because that's when miscarriages typically happen, and you may need medical attention and be away from home.

[Anonymous]

new poster here: My dr. said flying at any time in the first tri was just fine. Just be sure to know the location of a hospital at your destination in case you have heavy bleeding and/or cramping. Mine said if I thought I was miscarrying (I had been bleeding for a couple of days before travel but everything checked out fine) I had to be seen by someone. Here or there, didn't make a difference. Flying absolutely does not cause miscarriage.

[Anonymous]

Don't go through the new scanners. The old scanners are fine but the new ones use Xrays. I was told by a nurse to avoid it. I flew out of BWI this weekend to New Hampshire and didn't have to go through the new scanners. They mostly used the old ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It is not recommended to fly until you are 14 weeks because you could miscarry. Although with my other pregnancies I waited to tell my employer, I let them know this time because they wanted me to fly. I simply let them know that I would be happy to drive if someone else could not go. So instead of sending someone else I just drove.

Really???? I flew three times before 12 weeks and saw my Dr. twice and no one ever told me this! I had NO idea!

Smells like another one of those pregnancy myths to me. If anything, the issue might be that *if* you should miscarry, you might not want to be in a plane while it happens. Not that flying can induce miscarriage. ???

So much hocus-pocus out there!

To answer your Q, I was about 7.5 months pregnant when I flew through some Texas airports. I was very obviously pregnant. I also was told there was no danger to my being full body scanned so I did it. Did not have my toddler with me at the time, so that wasn't an issue.

I have no qualms, really, about being body-searched by touch so long as the person doing so is professional about it.

[Anonymous]

It is not recommended to fly until you are 14 weeks because you could miscarry.

Do not give out medical advice unless you are a doctor, please. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.