The following letter was sent to John P. Holdren in April of this year by a number of University of California faculty members concerning the dangers of naked body scanners.
Read the entire letter here:
LETTER OF CONCERN (PDF) <- 2.5 short pages, well worth the read!
Some highlights from the Letter of Concern:
Our colleagues at UCSF, dermatologists and cancer experts, raise specific important concerns:
? A) The large population of older travelers, >65 years of age, is particularly at risk from the mutagenic effects of the X-rays based on the known biology of melanocyte aging.
? B) A fraction of the female population is especially sensitive to mutagenesisprovoking radiation leading to breast cancer. Notably, because these women, who have defects in DNA repair mechanisms, are particularly prone to cancer, X-ray mammograms are not performed on them. The dose to breast tissue beneath the skin represents a similar risk.
? C) Blood (white blood cells) perfusing the skin is also at risk.
? D) The population of immunocompromised individuals--HIV and cancer patients (see above) is likely to be at risk for cancer induction by the high skin dose.
? E) The risk of radiation emission to children and adolescents does not appear to have been fully evaluated.
? F) The policy towards pregnant women needs to be defined once the theoretical risks to the fetus are determined.
? G) Because of the proximity of the testicles to skin, this tissue is at risk for sperm mutagenesis.
? H) Have the effects of the radiation on the cornea and thymus been determined?
These things are just bad news.
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