Privacy Image
AS&E's privacy-enhanced SmartCheck system uses a privacy image to protect the privacy of screened passengers while still effectively displaying threats. The image looks like a chalk outline of the person and outlines any potential threats on the person (see image below). The image is similar to when a child traces an outline of his/her hand.
Privacy-enhanced SmartCheck presents only an outline of the scanned individual and outlines any threats on the person while providing optimum security and ensuring privacy.
Images will not be stored, printed or transmitted
For added privacy to the passenger, the privacy-enhanced SmartCheck system is not capable of storing, exporting, printing, or transmitting images; all images are automatically deleted from the system immediately after they are reviewed by the remote operator.
Remote Operator Console
The image analysis console is located remotely, out of the sight of those being scanned and the general public. This also prevents the image analyst from seeing or identifying the person being scanned.
SmartCheck privacy image of a male (front and back).
Safe for All
SmartCheck's Z Backscatter™ X-ray technology is safe for both operators and scanned individuals. The radiation dose from a single scan is less than 10 microRem (0.1 microSieverts).
To put this into perspective, 10 microRem is equivalent to:
- The radiation a person receives from flying in an airplane for about two minutes at 30,000 feet (due to the increased exposure from cosmic rays).
- One percent (1%) of the radiation dose received by the average person on any day of the year.
SmartCheck meets the manufacturer's requirements of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard N43.17, which is the standard that the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) references for systems such as SmartCheck.
It is important to keep in mind that all of us are exposed to ionizing radiation -- from sources such as the sun's rays -- every single day of our lives. For further reference, the table below shows some comparisons of X-ray dose levels:
| Dose from... | Dose in microRem | Relative to Backscatter Scan |
|---|---|---|
| One SmartCheck Scan | 10 | 1 X |
| One hour on an airplane | 300 | 30 X |
| Averaged Daily Radiation Dose | 1000 | 100 X |
| Trans-continental flight (round trip) | 4000 | 400 X |
| Chest X-Ray | 5000 - 10,000 | 500 - 1000 X |
| Average radiation dose per year | 360,000 | 36,000 X |
| CAT scan (Head and Body) | 1,000,000 | 100,000 X |
Frequently Asked Questions about Privacy-Enhanced SmartCheck
What is SmartCheck?
AS&E's SmartCheck Personnel Screening System is a non-intrusive personnel screening system designed to allow operators to detect threats and contraband hidden on a person while ensuring privacy and safety.
What will the system find? What can the SmartCheck detect?
SmartCheck is a safe, non-intrusive personnel screening system that allows operators to detect threats and contraband hidden on a person. The system displays both organic and inorganic materials, revealing objects such as guns and knives, liquid and plastic explosives, composite weapons, and other hidden threats and contraband. Its Z Backscatter technology combined with AS&E's unique privacy image gives the operator easy-to-interpret information about the location of hidden threats or contraband; thus eliminating the need for intrusive and time-consuming pat-down searches.
Will the images be stored?
For added privacy to the passenger, the privacy-enhanced SmartCheck system is not capable of storing, exporting, printing, or transmitting images. All images are automatically deleted from the system immediately after they are reviewed by the remote operator.
How has AS&E addressed privacy concerns?
In response to privacy concerns, AS&E incorporates a privacy image into the privacy-enhanced SmartCheck system. The privacy image protects the privacy of screened personnel while still effectively displaying threats.
What does the image look like?
The privacy image looks like an outline of the scanned person. It outlines any potential threats on the person -- similar to when a child traces an outline of his/her hand. The privacy image identifies the nature and location of any threats, but it will not show revealing images of the body.
Is SmartCheck safe for everyday use? What about exposure levels for individuals who are frequent flyers?
Yes, the National Council on Radiation Protection recommends that the dose from any one source of man-made radiation should not exceed 25,000 microRem per year. At less than 10 microRem per scan, even 2,500 SmartCheck scans in one year would not exceed this recommended limit.
What is the dose of radiation?
The dose from the SmartCheck system is less than 10 microRem per scan (0.1 microSievert per scan).
Some dose comparisons:
- 1 scan = About 2 minutes of plane flight at altitude
- 1 scan = Less than 15 minutes of natural background radiation
- 1 scan = Less than 1/1000th of a medical chest X-ray
Is SmartCheck safe for children and pregnant women?
Yes, the dose limits set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) take into consideration the most sensitive members of the population, including pregnant and potentially pregnant women, children, infants, persons receiving radiation treatment for medical conditions and others. The effective dose from the SmartCheck system is less than 10 microRem (0.1 microSievert) per scan, which meets the ANSI standard. For comparison, the amount of radiation a person receives from one SmartCheck scan is equivalent to about 2 minutes of airplane flight at altitude.
How does Z Backscatter work?
Z Backscatter X-ray technology displays threats by reflecting a low-energy X-ray beam from a person to a detector on the near side. AS&E's SmartCheck system utilizes this technology based on the X-ray Compton Scattering effect. Z Backscatter works by detecting and highlighting "low Z" materials (items that contain low atomic number elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen). Low Z materials include explosives, plastic weapons, and drugs. SmartCheck also recognizes the lack of scattering that occurs when "high Z" materials are placed against the body. These "high Z" materials, such as metal weapons and bomb-detonating wires are also outlined on the person being scanned. Thus the system is able to display all organic and metallic threats and contraband anywhere on a person's body.
What is the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and what is the applicable standard for SmartCheck?
The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is the regulating body of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) charged with oversight of electronic product safety, including radiation producing equipment. SmartCheck meets the manufacturer's requirements of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard N43.17, which is the standard that CDRH references for systems such as SmartCheck.
What is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and what is the applicable standard for SmartCheck?
SmartCheck meets ANSI standard N43.17. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private organization that develops consensus standards by chartering subcommittees of experts. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) can use the standards written by an ANSI committee to classify a system that does not fall into one of the main categories specified in the mandatory standards. The ANSI standard N43.17 "Radiation Safety for Personnel Security Screening Systems Using X-rays or Gamma Radiation" is one such standard. The standard covers dose to subject, interlocks, operational procedures, information to provide to subjects, training for operators as well as other information.
Does SmartCheck work on baggage?
No, the system was designed to scan people.
