Could Radio Frequency (RF)/Millimeter Wave Scanners cause cancer?

While the FDA does not have a category for Security devices using ultra-high frequency radio waves, which are used in Millimeter Wave Scanners, they do provide safety information for cell phones. The FDA assures the public that any cell phone that emitted dangerous levels of radiation would contain a warning label or be removed from the market. According to the U.S. Transportation Security Agency, the radiation emitted by the full-body scanners used in airports is less than the amount emitted by a cell phone. Dangers of RF radiation High levels of radio frequency radiation can be extremely harmful to the body. RF energy in high levels heats tissues, in what is known as the thermal effect (This is what makes microwave ovens work). While the levels of energy used in a full-body scanner would not be of sufficient intensity to be dangerous, a malfunction in the scanner could theoretically cause energy due to the thermal effect of the RF energy. What are Backscatter Scanners? Backscatter ...  more