An X-ray baggage scanner produces radiation only inside its shielded tunnel, and only while scanning. Switch it off and no radiation remains — unlike a radioactive source, which emits continuously. Leakage at the cabinet surface is far below the regulatory limit, and a person walking through receives no effective dose.
An X-ray tube accelerates electrons onto a target; the resulting beam passes through the bag and is measured by a detector array on the far side. The whole path is enclosed in a lead-lined cabinet.
The curtains are the weakest point in practice. Constant bag impact can bend or lift them and open gaps, so checking curtain condition should be the first item on any daily checklist.
Our cabinets are rated at typically below 1 μSv/h at the surface. One hour standing against the machine is therefore roughly equivalent to three to four hours of natural background. A person passing through spends three to five seconds and is never inside the beam.
People walk through the metal detector while bags go through the scanner; neither exposes a person to the beam. The real precaution is not to lean into the curtains. Pacemakers are unaffected because an X-ray scanner is not a magnetic device — unlike an MRI.
The units are rated film-safe to ISO 1600. Phones, drives, memory cards and cameras are unaffected.
Annual third-party radiation surveys are recommended for busy sites: they satisfy the regulator and provide evidence if an incident is ever questioned.
Is it safe to stand next to the machine? At the rated leakage, one hour equals a few hours of background. No need to lean against it, especially at the curtain seams.
Can pregnant women pass through? Yes — people use the metal detector, bags use the scanner.
Is there radiation after switching off? No.
Every unit ships with its factory leakage-dose report; wearable dosimeters are available for operator monitoring programmes.
