New Level of Security

[I_Money]

Mother Puts Baby Through LAX X-Ray Machine

POSTED: 6:46 am PST December 20, 2006
UPDATED: 8:11 am PST December 20, 2006

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LOS ANGELES -- A woman going through security at LAX over the weekend put her month-old grandson into a plastic bin intended for carry-on items and slid it into an X-ray machine, prompting astonished officials to order that the child be medically evaluated .

The infant was taken to Centinela Hospital, where doctors determined he had not received a dangerous dose of radiation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In the several seconds the baby spent in the machine, he was exposed to as much radiation as he would get in a day from cosmic rays, or high energy from outer space, Dr. James Borgstede, a Colorado diagnostic radiologist and president of the American College of Radiology, told The Times.

The early Saturday accident -- bizarre but not unprecedented -- caught airport workers by surprise, even though the security line was not busy at the time, officials told The Times.

A screener watching the machine's monitor immediately noticed the outline of a baby and pulled the bin backward on the conveyor belt, The Times reported.

Officials, who declined to release the 56-year-old woman's name, told The Times she spoke only Spanish.

She initially didn't want the baby transported to a hospital, but security officials called paramedics and insisted the child be examined by a doctor, according to The Times. The woman and child were later allowed to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Mexico City.

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Nico Melendez said his agency, which manages LAX screeners, does not want such an incident to recur.

"We're trying to figure out what changes we can make, short of putting up signs saying, 'Don't put your baby through the X-ray machine,'" he told The Times.

[Kristie]

caught the workers by surprise? how could that be?? they're always checking what goes into the machine.....

[BCTAv8r]

The radiation isn't really a problem considering the child would get more exposion to radiation on a cross country flight.

[falconvalley]

They said cosmic rays outside of the protection of the troposphere! That's alot of exposure!

[taseal]

everytime we go for a flight, they always see what goes through the xray machine BEFORE it goes in there... how the hell did they miss the kid?

[PGT]

Theres some interesting things pointed out over at the a.net discussion. I'll quote some...

Then again, after sharing a bus with a bunch of TSA agents who had just gone off-shift at LAX, I shouldn't be supprised. I'm actually more afraid of terrorisim knowing that they're working at the airport.

My experience with TSA at LAX and last weekend at EWR convinces me that their agents are a bigger threat to my safety than anybody else.

This whole incident is completely, totally beyond all comprehension. From the level of stupidity of the woman who apparently distracts rather easily, to the morons who pass as TSAs (and would better serve the general public by flipping burgers down the road), to the winners rushing the kid to a hospital (my tax dollars at work, thank you), to the supervisors operating the machinery who don't have a clue as to the level of radiation the gizmo puts out per bag. Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is the security you can count on from your government!

Ive never had a problem with the TSA so I can't say anything negative but a lot of people can.

[X-Forces]

Is it just me, or could they have compared the radiation exposure to something more conventional?

Like something actually down here, on Earth (Microwave Oven, Radio Transmission tower, ect)

Something most people, who don't work for NASA, can relate to.

[Aero_Engineer]

Well not trying to take the TSA agents' side but there are several signs at LAX both in Spanish and English telling you what to put in the X-Ray machine and it obviously does not mention YOUR BABY.
Anyhow both the woman and the agent were careless in this situation if you ask me.

[casey]

Originally Posted by X-Forces

Is it just me, or could they have compared the radiation exposure to something more conventional?

Like something actually down here, on Earth (Microwave Oven, Radio Transmission tower, ect)

Something most people, who don't work for NASA, can relate to.

thats exactly what they did. Do this tomorrow:

1) stand outside all day.

the amount of radiation you were exposed to standing outside all day, thats what the term

he was exposed to as much radiation as he would get in a day from cosmic rays

means.

basically he got a days worth of background radiation exposure packaged neatly in a 6 second burst.

[X-Forces]

Originally Posted by casey

thats exactly what they did. Do this tomorrow:

1) stand outside all day.

the amount of radiation you were exposed to standing outside all day, thats what the term



means.

basically he got a days worth of background radiation exposure packaged neatly in a 6 second burst.

Man, I live in Hamburg!!

A day's radiation here is about what you would get in 5 minutes anywhere else.

Forgot the last time I saw the sun!



And actually that was part of my point, background radiation will vary from place to place, whereas if they made a reference to something even as mundane as a X-ray machine at your local dentist people could associate it with something that is everyday.

I’m just making a fuss!! I miss the sun!

[surreal1221]

Hopefully the TSA won't go nuts about this. . . and spin it the other way. . .I can sea it now.

Originally Posted by TSA

Due to recent intelligence, it is now a requirement that ALL HUMAN BEINGS place themselves on the X-ray belt to be examined.

Hope you enjoy the wait times now.

[launchpad]

NEW TSA POLICY:

All babies must be taken out of their diapers before being put in the X-Ray machine.....all violators will be strip searched and probed before being allowed in the terminal.....

[tonyw]

I'm hardly a defender of the TSA but in this case, the stupidity is on the part of the woman who thought she had to put her baby on the x-ray machine.

Anyone who's that stupid shouldn't be allowed to reproduce. As Mencia says, take a dee, add it to another dee, and you get a dee dee dee!