Is Security Screening Safe at Palma Airport?
Flyers leaving from Palma airport must pass through security screening. How safe is security screening at Palma airport for travelers? How safe is Palma airport security for pregnant women, babies, the elderly or infirm?
Screening Faced at Palma Airport
Flyers must walk through the metal detector, possibly two or three times. Passengers can possibly be scanned with a smaller hand held metal detector.
Passenger’s hand luggage at Palma airport has to pass through the x-ray machines and they will have to walk alongside these machines.
Food, electronic devices photographic film and delicate material must pass through the x-ray machines on trays.
Metal Detectors used at Palma Airport
At Palma airport travelers will be obliged to pass through the metal detectors during security.
Some people think that the metal detectors used at Palma airport are x-ray machines, they are not. Neither do they emit x-rays or radiation. The luggage scanners though are x-ray machines.
Metal detectors are designed to screen for any weapons or items that could be used as such. The metal detectors emit a low frequency magnetic field. This is considered very safe.
At the low levels used the metal detector is considered safe for pregnant women and babies. This also applies for the hand held metal detectors that security will sometimes use to scan certain passengers.
All electric devices, even electric household appliances, likewise generate an electromagnetic field which is considered to be safe to humans.
The metal detectors used at Palma airport are similar to the metal detectors used at a lot of office buildings today.
Many studies show that while pacemakers set of the metal detector alarms at airports the implants are unaffected. If a person has a unique implant or has doubts about the metal detector it is best for them to consult their medical doctor.
If passengers with implants or pacemakers want to clear Palma airport security they should bring their identification documents that prove they have an implant.
Luggage X-ray machines used at Palma Airport
Luggage X-ray machines used at Palma airport for security clearance do emit radiation internally. Is it safe for passengers to walk past the hand luggage x-ray machines?
These cabin luggage scanners produce lower power x-rays than the hold luggage scanners used at Palma airport. The type of x-ray is similar to the x-rays produced in a dental clinic but much lower in power.
However these x-ray beams are not aimed at people but luggage. The machines have internal shields to stop radiation leakage. Leakage is classed as any radiation considered to be above the safe limit.
This means for pregnant women, babies, the elderly or infirm, there is technically no threat to health when moving past the hand luggage machine at Palma airport.
Luggage, including camera film, electronic devices and food items such as baby food or milk are not affected nor do they contain any residual radiation. The radiation level used in the hand luggage x-ray scanner is too low.
For hold luggage x-ray scanners it is higher and camera film should be kept in hand luggage to avoid damage to delicate photographic film.
As the x-ray level is low for hand luggage scanners it won’t affect pets adversely to pass through the x-ray machine. However it is only the carrier that needs scanning so passengers could put this through the luggage scanner and carry their pet or walk them through the metal detector.
Full body Scanners
Full body scanners are not in use at Palma airport.
These do use a very low level of radiation but not enough to penetrate soft tissues as in medical x-rays.
The types of x-rays scanner used in the USA only penetrate clothing to look for dangerous objects. They are consider by some passengers as a danger to personal privacy due to the revealing images produced.
In the UK they use a similar body scanner that uses x-rays but purposely doesn’t produce an image only a generic mannequin with areas marked to be checked by security officers.
At the moment passengers can opt out of being scanned by the body scanners. However they will be subject to a thorough body search which may mean the removal of clothing.