Airport scanners can damage your Kindle

The international media is abuzz with reports of Amazon Kindle screens being damaged by X-ray scanners. Apparently a high dose of radiation, sometimes used to look into electronic devices, has damaged the electronic ink display in a number of cases. Professor Daping Chu, a leading expert on electronic ink, however, rules out radiation as the cause. "The radiation used in an airport scanner is not strong enough to damage an electronic ink display. But you can get a build up of static inside these machines, caused by the rubber belt rubbing. If that charge were to pass through a Kindle, it is conceivable that it could damage the screen."
Keep away from metal detectors: A static charge from an airport scanner could be 100 volts or more, points Professor Chu. "That could permanently stick the particles to the screen," he said. While X-ray equipment gets a unanimous 'okay' for gadget safety, Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMD) may not be too kind to your gadgets. So be sure to keep your gadgets in the tray provided before you pass through the door. However, you may not have much to worry about if the DFMD is certified, says Anup Kumar Mhatre, MD of a security gadgets firm. "Certified DFMDs are safe, even a pregnant woman can pass through it. And the DFMDs at the airport are definitely certified." The important thing is to keep gadgets aside when walking through DFMDs. Avoid any metal components and it won't pose a danger to your device, he explains.
29/11/11 Saadia S Dhailey/Times of India

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: airports Nov 2011