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Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA) You can ask for a pat-down search instead. However, if you are worried about x-ray or millimeter wave screening, you are not required to walk through these machines. The risk of health effects from backscatter x-ray systems and millimeter wave machines is very, very low. Airport screening helps keep travelers safe by identifying hidden weapons and other hazards that are not approved for safe airline travel.

The machines must also have locks, warning lights and warning labels to keep you safe. The machines must meet strict standards about how much radiation can escape the cabinet. In the case of cabinet x-ray systems used to screen luggage and carry-on items, the thick walls of the enclosed cabinet and lead curtains at the entry and exit points of the cabinets keep radiation from escaping.Generally, the amount of radiation received from a backscatter machine equals the amount of cosmic radiation received during two minutes of flight and the risk of health effects is very, very low. Backscatter machines use very low energy x-rays that are reflected back to the machine itself. Backscatter passenger scanners are used to detect threats such as weapons or explosives that a person could be carrying under their clothing.

Depending on the type of machine, ionizing radiation is used to identify objects that may be hidden by passengers and to create images of what is in luggage. Airports use ionizing radiation to scan passengers and luggage. Ionizing radiation has so much energy it can knock electrons out of atoms, a process known as ionization. Some screening equipment uses ionizing radiation. These images are what TSA agents see when you go through a millimeter wave machine. Not everything that shows up in the scan is an actual object or threat, so TSA will perform a pat-down to confirm. If there are no weapons or other potential threats when someone is scanned, the screen turns green and shows an “OK.” If an object is detected, it will appear on the screen along with a generic body outline to show the location.

Millimeter wave machines are important pieces of airport security equipment because they can show hidden threats such as guns and knives. Millimeter wave scanners emit far less energy than a cell phone. The machine bounces the waves off the body and back to the machine.

Millimeter wave machines use non-ionizing radiofrequency waves to detect threats.

The energy that bounces back from the scanned surface will show the objects that are present, or it can generate an image that TSA agents can use to show items that may need more investigation. In airports, metal detectors and millimeter wave machines use low energy, non-ionizing radiation to send energy across scanned surfaces. Non-ionizing radiation has enough energy to move atoms in a molecule around or cause them to vibrate, but not enough to remove electrons from atoms. Some equipment uses non-ionizing radiation. The metal detectors ignore very small amounts of metal, like the button on your jeans or small earrings. The return signal is detected by the machine and a beeping noise is produced to alert the TSA agent.

The magnetic field will be reflected back to the machine if there are any metal objects present, such as a watch or a belt buckle. Metal detectors create a magnetic field by using a brief pulse of electrical current. Magnetic fields are produced by the flow of current through wires or electrical devices. Metal detectors use magnetic fields to help identify metal objects. Source: Transportation Security Administration (TSA) This image shows TSA agents and two metal detectors at a security checkpoint in an airport.