Behind the Backscatter: The Health, Security Implications of Body Scanners

SCIENCE THURSDAY -- December 1, 2011 at 2:39 PM EDT

Behind the Backscatter: The Health, Security Implications of Body Scanners

On Thursday's NewsHour broadcast, Miles O'Brien reports on the safety of the latest backscatter body-scanning machines that are widely used in American airport security.

Hari Sreenivasan caught up with Miles this week to get some behind-the-scenes intelligence on the piece. What do we know about the ionizing radiation emitted by these scanners? Why are such security devices outlawed in the European Union? And what would it take for a terrorist to beat one?

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