Taco
12-20-2006, 01:58 PM
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=4865177
Grandmother Puts 1-Month-Old In X-ray Machine At LAX Airport
LOS ANGELES, Decemeber 20, 2006 - A woman going through security at LAX over the weekend put her month-old grandson into a plastic bin intended for carry-on items and slid it into an X-ray machine, prompting astonished officials to order the child medically evaluated .
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The infant was taken to Centinela Hospital, where doctors determined he had not received a dangerous dose of radiation, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In the several seconds the baby spent in the machine, he was exposed to as much radiation as he would get in a day from cosmic rays, or high energy from outer space said, Dr. James Borgstede, a Colorado diagnostic radiologist and president of the American College of Radiology.
The early Saturday accident bizarre but not unprecedented caught airport workers by surprise, even though the security line was not busy at the time, said officials.
A screener watching the machine's monitor immediately noticed the outline of a baby and pulled the bin backward on the conveyor belt.
Officials, who declined to release the 56-year-old woman's name, told reporters she spoke only Spanish.
She initially didn't want the baby transported to a hospital, but security officials called paramedics and insisted the child be examined by a doctor, according to reports. The woman and child were later allowed to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Mexico City.
Transportation Security Administration spokesman Nico Melendez said his agency, which manages LAX screeners, does not want such an incident to recur.
"We're trying to figure out what changes we can make, short of putting up signs saying, `Don't put your baby through the X-ray machine,' " said Melendez.
Grandmother Puts 1-Month-Old In X-ray Machine At LAX Airport
LOS ANGELES, Decemeber 20, 2006 - A woman going through security at LAX over the weekend put her month-old grandson into a plastic bin intended for carry-on items and slid it into an X-ray machine, prompting astonished officials to order the child medically evaluated .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also on abc7.com:
Daily Newsletter | Breaking News Alerts | Eyewitness News team Bios
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The infant was taken to Centinela Hospital, where doctors determined he had not received a dangerous dose of radiation, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In the several seconds the baby spent in the machine, he was exposed to as much radiation as he would get in a day from cosmic rays, or high energy from outer space said, Dr. James Borgstede, a Colorado diagnostic radiologist and president of the American College of Radiology.
The early Saturday accident bizarre but not unprecedented caught airport workers by surprise, even though the security line was not busy at the time, said officials.
A screener watching the machine's monitor immediately noticed the outline of a baby and pulled the bin backward on the conveyor belt.
Officials, who declined to release the 56-year-old woman's name, told reporters she spoke only Spanish.
She initially didn't want the baby transported to a hospital, but security officials called paramedics and insisted the child be examined by a doctor, according to reports. The woman and child were later allowed to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Mexico City.
Transportation Security Administration spokesman Nico Melendez said his agency, which manages LAX screeners, does not want such an incident to recur.
"We're trying to figure out what changes we can make, short of putting up signs saying, `Don't put your baby through the X-ray machine,' " said Melendez.