Leica sensor safety on new higher power TSA CAT scan X-ray systems

[hmathias]

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Something new to worry about when traveling with Leica Cameras:

 

From the Washington Post:

TSA tests scanners that allow travelers to keep electronics and liquids in their bags when going through airport security

by Andrea Sachs August 13 at 7:00 AM

For what feels like eons, Transportation Security Administration officers have been reminding travelers to remove all electronics and liquids from their carry-on bags and place them in a tray. At more than a dozen airports, however, passengers are hearing a new refrain: Keep your items in your luggage.

This summer, the agency is amping up its pilot test of new CT scanners (in longhand, computed tomography checkpoint scanners). Fifteen airports throughout the country, including Washington Dulles and BWI Marshall, will employ the new technology. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was the first facility to receive the advanced screening innovation, in 2017, followed by Boston Logan and New York’s JFK.

 

The 3-D imaging equipment resembles a hospital CT scanner, with bags replacing bodies. The technology uses an X-ray camera to shoot hundreds of images, thereby assembling a fuller view of the objects tucked inside carry-ons. TSA officials can rotate the items on three axes, a vast improvement from the current scanners, which provide only 2-D images. By improving detection, TSA hopes to reduce the number of secondary bag inspections and speed up the security process, a triple bonus for travelers.

 

“This is the same technology as checked bags,” said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman. “This can really detect explosives.”

The agency will integrate the 3-D scanners into regular security lines. To participate in the test, head for the lane with the giant white machine that resembles a sci-fi movie prop. Then, fight the urge to remove your electronics and liquids, and walk on through.

Despite the change of one rule, several others remain, including the size restriction on liquids (remember your 3-1-1). You must also remove your coat and shoes, unless you are part of a trusted traveler program such as PreCheck.

TSA plans to install up to 40 units by the close of the year and more than 145 by the end of fiscal year 2019.

Edited August 13, 2018 by hmathias

[frame-it]

but > “This is the same technology as checked bags,” said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman.

 

https://harvestimaging.com/pubdocs/154_2010_ASDAM.pdf

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[hmathias]

but > “This is the same technology as checked bags,” said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman.

 

https://harvestimaging.com/pubdocs/154_2010_ASDAM.pdf

 

 

Yes but who checks their Leica cameras? I never have!

 

The most alarming sentence in the story is: "The technology uses an X-ray camera to shoot hundreds of images, thereby assembling a fuller view of the objects tucked inside carry-ons." [my underlining]

[willeica]

I have never been asked to take a camera out of my case in any part of the world, including the US. Sometimes, the security people ask to inspect my bag, which takes a few moments. The funniest incident was in Dublin Airport when I was travelling to London for a Leica Society event with an M240 and a IIIf and Reid (1950s British Leica copy). The latter two were being brought to London for a CLA. They asked to see my bag in Dublin 'because two of the cameras had no visible electronics'. It took a couple of seconds to explain, but I had to avoid laughing at the situation until the security guy saw the the humour of the situation himself.

 

William

[frame-it]

on a side note, the digital screen at Bangkok airport :

 

Looks like a Leica M

 

 

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[jaapv]

I have never been asked to take a camera out of my case in any part of the world, including the US. Sometimes, the security people ask to inspect my bag, which takes a few moments. The funniest incident was in Dublin Airport when I was travelling to London for a Leica Society event with an M240 and a IIIf and Reid (1950s British Leica copy). The latter two were being brought to London for a CLA. They asked to see my bag in Dublin 'because two of the cameras had no visible electronics'. It took a couple of seconds to explain, but I had to avoid laughing at the situation until the security guy saw the the humour of the situation himself.

 

William

Last year at Schiphol they asked me to unpack my camera bag, which really annoyed me. as I usually pack it very densely and organized, and we were a bit late for the flight, so I had to throw the stuff  back in.    

[andybarton]

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I had my bag searched at Frankfurt on the way back from Wetzlar once. It was as if the security guys had never seen an M camera before - I had an M7 at the time.

 

They gave it a thorough going over and made me open it up so that they could see inside. fortunately, I had no film in it at the time.

[wizard]

....

 

They gave it a thorough going over and made me open it up so that they could see inside. fortunately, I had no film in it at the time.

 

If there is a film in the camera, they usually require you to take a picture, which is fine with me. I once had a security person wonder why you could see something through the viewfinder despite the lens cap still being on the lens ...

[hmathias]

In the days of motion picture film, we would carry cans of exposed film, as yet unprocessed, with our carry on bags to avoid the more powerful checked bag X-rays. When the airport security  asked us to open the cans, we refused and they checked the cans in a light-tight changing bag, which was standard (pre TSA) airport security equipment then. We also refused permission to X-Ray cameras and light meters and asked for a "hand search" which they complied with.  But that time is long gone... 

 

The last few times that I traveled with film & digital cameras, they didn't ask me to open the bag, but insisted that I send the bag through the scanner. 

 

Now my concern is that as the story says: "The technology uses an X-ray camera to shoot hundreds of images". Hundreds of X-rays times several flights equals 1,000's of exposures to a very power source of radiation, possibly fatal for undeveloped film, but what about the digital sensors, we know Gamma Rays are destructive of them, what about X-rays?

 

I would love to hear Leica comment on this.  

[tgdinamo]

Few weeks ago in Madrid airport they made me take out Leica Q and Leica D-Lux 109 out of my backpack!

[frame-it]

Hundreds of X-rays times several flights equals 1,000's of exposures to a very power source of radiation, possibly fatal for undeveloped film, but what about the digital sensors, we know Gamma Rays are destructive of them, what about X-rays?

 

I would love to hear Leica comment on this.  

 

 

film death by x ray seems pretty quick

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[jaapv]

In the days of motion picture film, we would carry cans of exposed film, as yet unprocessed, with our carry on bags to avoid the more powerful checked bag X-rays. When the airport security  asked us to open the cans, we refused and they checked the cans in a light-tight changing bag, which was standard (pre TSA) airport security equipment then. We also refused permission to X-Ray cameras and light meters and asked for a "hand search" which they complied with.  But that time is long gone... 

 

The last few times that I traveled with film & digital cameras, they didn't ask me to open the bag, but insisted that I send the bag through the scanner. 

 

Now my concern is that as the story says: "The technology uses an X-ray camera to shoot hundreds of images". Hundreds of X-rays times several flights equals 1,000's of exposures to a very power source of radiation, possibly fatal for undeveloped film, but what about the digital sensors, we know Gamma Rays are destructive of them, what about X-rays?

 

I would love to hear Leica comment on this.  

Sensors are affected by high-energy particles i.e. Neutrons.

Soft, well-filtered  X-ray equipment, like airport scanners - even Tomograph-type ones like discussed here- operates in a completely different energy range and cannot normally harm solid state devices as used in cameras, nor flash memory. If that were the case, a CT scan would kill you.

I would need to know  the kV and Amperage of the x-ray tube and the Al thickness of the filter to calculate the precise exposure. I would suspect  a typical device for this application to be in the 100-120 kV range, 300mA and 2mm Aluminium. Which could never harm our cameras.

 

High energy X-rays are used in military equipment like weapons and can certainly damage electronics.

 

Note that strong magnetic fields can harm electronics. That is not a little magnet like on the bottom plate , BTW.

 

Here is an article on effects of hard X-ray and other  radiation. Note that the author references things like exploding nuclear devices in the upper Stratosphere:

 

https://agenda.infn.it/getFile.py/access?contribId=14&resId=0&materialId=slides&confId=5622

[hmathias]

Sensors are affected by high-energy particles i.e. Neutrons.

Soft, well-filtered  X-ray equipment, like airport scanners - even Tomograph-type ones like discussed here- operates in a completely different energy range and cannot normally harm solid state devices as used in cameras, nor flash memory. If that were the case, a CT scan would kill you.

I would need to know  the kV and Amperage of the x-ray tube and the Al thickness of the filter to calculate the precise exposure. I would suspect  a typical device for this application to be in the 100-120 kV range, 300mA and 2mm Aluminium. Which could never harm our cameras.

 

High energy X-rays are used in military equipment like weapons and can certainly damage electronics.

 

Note that strong magnetic fields can harm electronics. That is not a little magnet like on the bottom plate , BTW.

 

Here is an article on effects of hard X-ray and other  radiation. Note that the author references things like exploding nuclear devices in the upper Stratosphere:

 

https://agenda.infn.it/getFile.py/access?contribId=14&resId=0&materialId=slides&confId=5622

 

I knew there was expertise here to address this question! Thanks, JAAPV!

 

So not to worry unless you are shooting film, or the tomography designers were more interested in catching bad guys then safeguarding health and safety of us and our cameras. Kodak used to work with the TSA to safeguard people's film, and now due to the TSA's change in motivation, Kodak is forced to simply report on the potential damage to their film. 

[jaapv]

I knew my post-grad radiation expert level five+ qualification (obligatory by law) would have some use at some point of time

[farnz]

I knew my post-grad radiation expert level five+ qualification (obligatory by law) would have some use at some point of time

 

It's always left me slightly uneasy that when having my mouth x-rayed by my dentist, he and his assistant leave the room while the x-ray is being taken.  I put it down to their trying to avoid a cumulative dose owing to their profession.

 

I assume however that the dentist in the room next door might be getting liberally sprayed with x-rays ...

 

Pete.

[Ouroboros]

It's always left me slightly uneasy that when having my mouth x-rayed by my dentist, he and his assistant leave the room while the x-ray is being taken.  I put it down to their trying to avoid a cumulative dose owing to their profession.......

I always assumed they were going outside to discuss the bill.

[jaapv]

It's always left me slightly uneasy that when having my mouth x-rayed by my dentist, he and his assistant leave the room while the x-ray is being taken.  I put it down to their trying to avoid a cumulative dose owing to their profession.

 

I assume however that the dentist in the room next door might be getting liberally sprayed with x-rays ...

 

Pete.

You're quite right, it is all about cumulative doses for operating staff, they have to comply with different norms than the patient.

The position of the X-ray machine must be carefully calculated before installing it. A single brick wall will prevent radiation penetration.

The radiation levels that we work with are really small. One dental X-ray equals about half an hour in an aeroplane at cruising level. At 1.5 meters distance nothing can be measured over the background radiation and everything has to be calculated.

There is no restriction any more on taking dental X-rays of pregnant women - other than psychological and marketing ones.

[M9reno]

So the upshot here is that, because the authorities assume that no one uses film anymore, it's ok to employ checked-luggage-strength x-ray levels on carry-on luggage, and air travel with film will no longer be possible.  Am I wrong?

[schattenundlicht]

So the upshot here is that, because the authorities assume that no one uses film anymore, it's ok to employ checked-luggage-strength x-ray levels on carry-on luggage, and air travel with film will no longer be possible.  Am I wrong?

Two days ago, at Frankfurt Airport, it needed some discussion with the security staff to exclude my ISO 400 films from X-raying.

 

I referred them to the Kodak recommendations with regard to highly sensitive films (ISO 400 and above) and kindly asked them to escalate the matter to a more senior officer, because at first they were adamant.

 

In the end, I had to open the cardboard box and plastic container and they swiped the film container for spectroscopy analysis (in order to exclude explosives). The whole procedure took a few minutes, but I was quite happy to leave with my films unscathed.

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Hallo,

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[schattenundlicht]

Few weeks ago in Madrid airport they made me take out Leica Q and Leica D-Lux 109 out of my backpack!

Last year at Schiphol they asked me to unpack my camera bag, which really annoyed me. as I usually pack it very densely and organized, and we were a bit late for the flight, so I had to throw the stuff back in.

 

One of the reasons why EU airport security SOPs would make them order you to unpack electronics (camera) and liquid containers (with allowed quantities) is that this excludes non-radioopaque polymeric conducting wires going from battery/electronics (i.e. ignition) to liquid/paste (i.e. explosive). Another reason is that in a cluttered bag it will be much harder for the X-ray operator to scan for abnormalities inside an electronic device casing.

 

I do not mind rigurous security checks if they are implemented well. I would hate missing a flight due to understaffed/ disorganized security setups (I had some close shaves).

Edited August 27, 2018 by schattenundlicht