Can x-ray in airport damage ipad?

[Prashanna]

Sorry, I doubt the information provided over net!
X-rays are high energy beams that can pull electrons out and ionise matter. Airport x-rays are also very high energy beams. The computer components contain semi conductors like NPN transistors which uses electron transmission for logical / calculation function. So how can X-rays be safe for computers?
Please send me logical answer or appropriate view at Edited

[Moderator edit: Removed link to e-mail address. Please read our rules. Thanks.]

 

[col.bris]

The answer is no..... I have passed through over 100 or more scanners with my iPhones and iPads with NO issue... So relax have a beer....fosters of course

 

[Mickey330]

While I'm not too sure you can trust what we say (we are on the Internet, even here ), I've never had trouble with an iPad and an airport scanner. So, if an anecdote of one reassures you ... there you go.

Marilyn

P.S. I deleted your other post you started today on this same topic. Making more than one post not only fragments the conversation and makes it hard to follow - it's against the forum rules. Please keep any follow-ups, discussion or updates on this topic to this thread; do not start another. Thanks for your understanding.*

 

[giradman]

Sorry, I doubt the information provided over net!
X-rays are high energy beams that can pull electrons out and ionise matter. Airport x-rays are also very high energy beams. The computer components contain semi conductors like NPN transistors which uses electron transmission for logical / calculation function. So how can X-rays be safe for computers?

Hi Prashanna - welcome to the forum! Not sure 'where' you are located (i.e. radiation regulations @ airports likely vary among countries), but as a retired radiologist I have to agree completely w/ Colin & Maryilyn - there have been other threads earlier stating the same opinions, and plenty of discussion of the web, virtually all claiming NO damage from ionizing radiation on screening carry-on bags containing one's electronics. My iPad 2 has gone through these X-ray machines dozens of times w/o an effect (not like the 'old' days of protecting your carry on film - not a problem now w/ digital cameras).

BUT, if you want some facts, the first quote below (from HERE) indicates that the X-ray machines used to screen bags puts out only 0.5 millirem/hr - so if a single screening takes just a few seconds, the radiation is likely < 0.01 millirems.

NOW, for comparison, see the second quote for some interesting daily human radiation exposures, e.g. flying across the USA will expose you to 4 millirems of radiation (and of course your iPad); background radiation gives you a yearly exposure of 300 millirems (and so to your iPad just existing on the planet) - SO, don't worry about it! Dave

Federal regulations require X-ray machines that screen bags to emit less than 0.5 millirem an hour. Currently, there are 221 backscatter X-ray machines to screen passengers at 39 airports. According to the TSA, each scan delivers a radiation dose of less than 0.01 millirem.

By the Numbers

• One year of naturally occurring background radiation: 300 millirem
• Annual recommended limit to the public of radiation from man-made sources: 100 millirem
• Chest X-ray: 10 millirem
• Flight from New York to Los Angeles: 4 millirem
• One day of natural background: approximately 1 millirem
• Drinking three glasses of water a day for a year: 0.045 millirem
• One backscatter X-ray screening: approximately 0.005 millirem

Source: Radiation dose comparisons from the Health Physics Society (http://hps.org/documents/WholeBodyScanners.pdf (hps.org) and other safety experts (http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-204_162-10005685-3.html (cbsnews.com).

 

[col.bris]

Now that is a descriptive answer.

Thanks. Colin

 

[Prashanna]

Hi thank you for the valuable opinion ! You have shared convincing facts.
I am from India . There are security checks everywhere like metro station, railway etc. I don't know whether they calibrate their machines in public interest or not. However it's printed that the radiation is food safe.

My fear was due to concept of ionising semi conductors only. Every computing device has semiconductors which transmit electrons in controlled manner for function like NPN Transistors.

Warm regards

 

[giradman]

Hi thank you for the valuable opinion ! You have shared convincing facts.
I am from India . There are security checks everywhere like metro station, railway etc. I don't know whether they calibrate their machines in public interest or not. However it's printed that the radiation is food safe.

My fear was due to concept of ionising semi conductors only. Every computing device has semiconductors which transmit electrons in controlled manner for function like NPN Transistors.....

Well, I believe that you can take in a deep breath and not feel concerned - Now, I don't know the regulations for these X-ray machines in India, but 'food safe' is not of much help. BUT, consider that from the previous charts presented, you & your iPad are receiving a millirem a day from natural radiation - that means (using the USA regulations, that the iPad likely receives 0.01 millirem or less per passage through an X-ray machine); thus, your machine would have to be scanned 100X a day just to equal what it receives from the cosmos! Hope this helps - Dave

 

[zstairlessone]

Typically X-Ray machines used in airports and for body scanning (not targeted cancer treatment) are in the 10 to 140 kEV range while the radiation from gamma rays is in the 4 to 45 MEV range and above (though some gammas from radioactive decay will be lower), the frequency of X-Rays tends to be much lower also. This means you should not see your electronic device become radioactive from X-Rays (the absorption cross window for the stuff you are carrying isn't close to the wavelength and energy levels from the machine). Because X-Rays are EM radiation they do create a field when moving and can induce current flow in conductors there is always a small chance of an issue, but the belt travels so slow and the orientation to the field isn't perpendicular (most likely on the same plane) so you should never see anything from the scan process.