An airport in Southwest China's Sichuan Province has sparked public outcry for not informing passengers about the use of human body X-ray security check machines that may damage people's health.
The body scanners, produced by the Anhui Qiluda photoelectric technology company, have been installed at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, Chengdu railway stations and judicial departments in several provinces, Guangdong-based Nandu Daily reported.
The company claimed on its official website that the machine uses advanced weak photon insight technology which is a practical safety inspection equipment for human body, said the report.
However, the CSIA did not put any obvious caution marks to inform passengers of the rays or remind them of possible health damages, except small warning signs - Caution Ionizing Radiation - on the back of the machines, which angered Chinese netizens.
According to pictures posted on the Internet, certain groups of passengers at the CSIA including the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with disabilities were guided to use the manual screening walkway in order to "prevent accidental falls."
An anonymous staff from the company admitted to the Nadu Daily that the weak photon insight technology uses X-ray to conduct security check.
He added that the X-ray is at the weakest level, which meets the national radiation standard and is even lower than the strictest US standard.
The staff said that the photon technology is very advanced and is only acquired by two or three companies in the world.
The Global Times has noticed that the company's website was hacked, with messages flooding on the screen that read, "It is X-ray but you use such a decent name [weak photon]. You have been condemned by the Chinese people."
Pei Yan, a professor from the Public Security College of the People's Public Security University of China, told the Global Times on Thursday that "the airport should inform passengers about the machine and its possible health risks, no matter what the radiation level is."
"The machine is particularly dangerous for pregnant women," Pei said.
