X-ray devices are found in crowded areas with high human circulation, such as airports, shopping malls, public buildings, and bus terminals, to ensure security. Due to the use of radiation in the operating principle of X-ray devices, we become suspicious about whether these devices negatively affect the food we consume. Ultimately, we don't want to pass food through these devices. So, what is the truth of this information? Is the chemistry of food passing through X-ray devices altered? Anadolu Agency Fact Check Line asked Lecturer Elif Ebru Altunsoy Güçlü from Üsküdar Üniversitesi Medical Imaging Techniques Department the question, 'Is the chemistry of food passing through X-ray devices altered?'
Altunsoy-Güçlü said, “X-ray is a type of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have very short wavelengths and can penetrate matter due to their high energy. Thanks to these properties, it is also an important tool for examining the internal structure of materials. X-rays are used in many different fields today.”
Altunsoy-Güçlü, stating that “X-ray devices are devices where objects, people, and vehicles are exposed to an X-ray source to provide information about their contents,” added that these devices consist of an X-ray source and detectors that sense these rays.
Radiation emitted from X-ray devices does not harm food
Contrary to popular belief, Altunsoy-Güçlü underlined that radiation emitted from X-ray devices does not harm food, adding, “The reason for this is that X-ray devices are systems that produce images with very low doses of X-rays.”
Altunsoy-Güçlü continued as follows:
“Furthermore, X-rays do not render the substances they pass through radioactive. They pass through the material and continue on their way. They do not have the property of being stored or imparting radiation to the material they pass through. For this reason, consuming food that has passed through X-ray devices has no known side effects. Moreover, in the food industry, X-rays are used in areas such as ensuring the sterilization of food and extending the shelf life of food.”
X-ray devices are designed to prevent the spread of radiation
Elif Ebru Altunsoy Güçlü, pointing out that the most important aspect in the use of X-ray devices is the level of radiation exposure for people passing through the device and nearby personnel, and that rates are adjusted in accordance with national and international safety standards to prevent harm to human health, said, “X-ray devices are covered with lead sheets or panels to prevent radiation from spreading into the environment, and leaded vinyl curtains are also placed at the tunnel exits. Since lead is one of the most effective materials used in radiation shielding, it prevents X-rays from spreading around,” she added.
There is no difference in the safety of different types of X-ray devices
Altunsoy-Güçlü stated that generally, very low-dose X-rays are used in X-ray devices employed in the security sector, adding:
“The substances these rays pass through do not become radioactive and are not stored in the material. Therefore, we can state that gate-type X-ray or cabin-type X-ray devices do not pose a threat to food safety, and there is no difference between them.”