The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began pilot testing AS&E's privacy enhanced SmartCheck™ Personnel Screening System at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This is the second pilot in addition to pilot testing at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona.

Assured Privacy

AS&E's privacy-enhanced SmartCheck system uses a software algorithm to protect the privacy of screened passengers while still effectively displaying threats (see image below). The image looks like a chalk outline of the person and outlines any potential threats on the person. The image is similar to when a child traces an outline of his/her hand.

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 SmartCheck system deployed by TSA 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 will be located remotely, out of the sight of those being scanned and the general public. This will also prevent the image analyst from seeing or identifying the person being scanned.

Voluntary Screening

Passengers undergoing secondary screening will have the option of a SmartCheck scan as an alternative to a physical pat-down by a TSA Security Officer at the security checkpoint. TSA will not require people to be scanned by SmartCheck.

SmartCheck with privacy software scan 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
Background radiation per day	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

Below is a chart of some of the comparisons to common sources of radiation.

Frequently Asked Questions about SmartCheck and TSA's Pilot Program

What technology will be tested?
AS&E's SmartCheck Personnel Screening System with Z Backscatter technology is currently being pilot tested at Los Angeles International Airport and Phoenix International Airport. SmartCheck 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.

Where can I find additional information about privacy and technology regarding the Pilot Test?
Please visit TSA's web site at: http://www.tsa.gov

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 threats, explosives, composite weapons, and other hidden threats and contraband. Its Z Backscatter technology combined with AS&E's unique privacy software 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 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 incorporated privacy software into the privacy-enhanced SmartCheck system. AS&E's SmartCheck system uses a software algorithm to protect the privacy of screened personnel while still effectively displaying threats.

What is TSA doing about the privacy issue related to piloting Backscatter personnel screening systems, such as SmartCheck, in an airport?
TSA plans to pilot test SmartCheck for secondary screening of passengers.

• Passengers will have a choice between being scanned and undergoing a pat-down search. TSA will not require people to be scanned by SmartCheck.
• AS&E has worked with TSA to develop a software algorithm that modifies the images to present an outline of the potential threats on the body, while securing the person's privacy.
• The image analysis console will be located remotely, out of the sight of those being scanned. This will prevent the image analyst from seeing the person being scanned.
• The system is not capable of storing, exporting, or transmitting images. All images will be automatically deleted from the system immediately after they are reviewed by the operator.

What does the image look like?
The privacy enhanced 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-filtered 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.

The procedure regarding selected persons given the option to be scanned during the pilot program is determined by TSA, and scanning is only conducted on a voluntary basis.

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 patented 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 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" 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.