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Airport full-body scanners called safe

CHICAGO, March 19 (UPI) -- U.S. airline passengers with heart pacemakers or surgically replaced body parts can safely pass through new airport full-body scanners, officials say.

The new scanners use low-energy X-rays that do not penetrate the skin, so passengers with surgically implanted parts, such as an artificial hip, need not worry about being flagged for further inspection, The Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

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However, the scanners will detect devices not implanted inside the body, such as prosthetic limbs, the newspaper said.

The new scanners will be installed in airports around the country this year.

One passenger at Chicago's O'Hare airport, who uses a wheelchair much of the time, expressed concern about being able to use the body scanner.

"I didn't see any handrails in the photo of the scanner I saw," she said. "I wouldn't be able to stand very long without support."

Passengers will be allowed to decline a body scan if they choose, and will receive alternate screening, Jim Fotenos, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, said.

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