Airport Scanners: Safe or Scary? The Truth for Maltese Flyers

Standing in line at Malta International Airport, you’re about to step into the full-body scanner. You’ve heard whispers, read articles – are these machines really safe? Let’s debunk the myths and get to the truth.

Fear of radiation is understandable, but let’s put things into perspective. The scanners used in Malta, like the SmartCheck by Smiths Detection, are not X-ray machines. They use millimetre wave technology, which is similar to radar. It’s a type of non-ionising radiation, meaning it doesn’t have the energy to dislodge electrons from atoms, unlike ionising radiation found in X-rays.

To illustrate, the energy level of millimetre waves is about a million times lower than that of X-rays. To put it in local terms, standing under the sun in Malta for an hour exposes you to more radiation than going through these scanners 100 times.

No, they don’t. The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has set exposure limits for millimetre waves. The scanners in use worldwide, including Malta, comply with these standards. The energy emitted is so low that it doesn’t cause any known biological effects, let alone infertility or cancer.

Dr. Mario Mallia, a Maltese radiation physicist, confirms, “The energy levels are too low to cause any harm. It’s like comparing a whisper to a shout – the difference is vast.”

While it’s true that scanners provide detailed images, the operator is in a separate room and can’t see the images in real-time. The system is designed to detect anomalies, not to show intimate details. the images are automatically deleted after use, ensuring privacy.

Malta’s Civil Aviation Authority ensures that all security measures, including the use of scanners, comply with European Union regulations. They prioritise both safety and privacy.