According to Mark Fischetti, an editor at Scientific American, “The security equipment in place at the nation’s airports was mandated in the 1970’s, when the chief concern was hijackings, not terrorist bombings. So while the metal detectors we all step through can uncover guns, knives, and other metal weapons, they can’t find hidden explosives” (“Should Full-Body Scanners Be Used In U.S. Airports?”, 2010, p. 4). Mark Fischetti is explaining that the prior forms of security used by the Transportation Security Administration can detect metal objects but can’t find any explosives. With the use of full-body scanners; however, they can detect any explosives in the form of powders, liquids or other bomb residue. They can do this because the full-body scanners are able to get a three-dimensional view of a passenger's body and see through their clothing to identify any metallic or nonmetallic materials (Leslie & Schneider, 2010, p. 1). An example of where these full-body scanners could have been effective is with the Christmas Day bombing incident. On December 25, 2009, a terrorist by the name of Abdulmutallab hid PETN powder in his underwear and was failed to be detected by security; however, the bomb was never detonated. With the use of full-body scanners, the terrorist would have never made it past security with the explosive in his underwear, which shows that these scanners can help save many innocent civilians
According to Mark Fischetti, an editor at Scientific American, “The security equipment in place at the nation’s airports was mandated in the 1970’s, when the chief concern was hijackings, not terrorist bombings. So while the metal detectors we all step through can uncover guns, knives, and other metal weapons, they can’t find hidden explosives” (“Should Full-Body Scanners Be Used In U.S. Airports?”, 2010, p. 4). Mark Fischetti is explaining that the prior forms of security used by the Transportation Security Administration can detect metal objects but can’t find any explosives. With the use of full-body scanners; however, they can detect any explosives in the form of powders, liquids or other bomb residue. They can do this because the full-body scanners are able to get a three-dimensional view of a passenger's body and see through their clothing to identify any metallic or nonmetallic materials (Leslie & Schneider, 2010, p. 1). An example of where these full-body scanners could have been effective is with the Christmas Day bombing incident. On December 25, 2009, a terrorist by the name of Abdulmutallab hid PETN powder in his underwear and was failed to be detected by security; however, the bomb was never detonated. With the use of full-body scanners, the terrorist would have never made it past security with the explosive in his underwear, which shows that these scanners can help save many innocent civilians