Wed, Nov 10, 2010
Health, Privacy Top APA's Concerns
In a letter to its 11,000 pilots, APA is urging its members to
refuse the full-body scans and insist on pat-down searches when
clearing security at airports.
In the letter, which was published in The Atlantic and
elswhere, APA president Captain David Bates says that, while
airline pilots are certainly "highly motivated partners" in
aviation security, he feels that the level of screening for pilots
has "spun out of control" and does not significantly improve
security.
Bates said one of his major concerns is the exposure to
radiation to which pilots are subjected during the backscatter
full-body scans.
Excerpting a letter he sent to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano,
Bates tells the membership, "We are exposed to radiation every day
on the job. For example, a typical Atlantic crossing during a solar
flare can expose a pilot to radiation equivalent to 100 chest
X-rays per hour. Requiring pilots to go through the AIT means
additional radiation exposure. I share our pilots' concerns about
this additional radiation exposure and plan to recommend that our
pilots refrain from going through the AIT. We already experience
significantly higher radiation exposure than most other
occupations, and there is mounting evidence of higher-than-average
cancer rates as a consequence."
Bates advises APA members to "politely" decline exposure to the
full body scan, and insist on a pat-down search that is out of view
of the traveling public. He said that way, what is an inherently
demeaning experience will preserve the pilots' "privacy and
dignity."
TSA Scanner In Use
Bates concludes that, should the additional screening make a
pilot late to his or her airplane, that they be sure not to "cut
corners the jeopardize the safety of the flight."
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