X-ray at airports

I shall pass thru a customs control at an airport and wonder if someone here knows what the x-ray machine in the security check will do to a pen dosimeter similar to this:
http://www.kashelara.com/2013/02/pen-dosimeters-analog-pendos.html

Carl

It doesn't say what type of detector it is but its designed to detect x-rays up to 8 MeV so they can handle large individual energies. Walking through an airport scanner probably gives you an effective dose from 0.010 μSv to maximum 1 μSv. And since its a dosimeter it (should) be designed to handle high peaks of radiation. I wouldn't worry!

I'm pretty sure the X-ray machine will overload the dosimeter. I carried a GM tube on international flights (before 2001) and I once had to demonstrate it to a customs official to prove it was what I claimed. Turned it on and placed it on the conveyor, and it went nuts inside, constant hiss from the speaker. You might want to print out something from the manufacturer and show it to the inspector asking to hand inspect it. Sometimes that worked for photographic film canisters in the past.

Have you tested the tube in another dosimeter?
There sure can be overloads in GM's, but the dose in an luggage xray machine is low. The electrical circuits should also be fine.
The dosimeter linked to above is stated to be of hospital characteristics. The dosimeters we use are mostly of the scintillator types. Most of them can handle large peaks of radiation, several mSv, before they are saturated, some can go as far as Sv but that should never happend of obvious reasons.
However, I have heard of things like insulin pumps acting weird after being scanned at the airport so if you are worried the best thing is to contact the manufacturer and get some more information.

EDIT: I did see now that some of the pen has a range of 0-20 R which I interpret as Roentgen. 20 R is roughly equal to 175 mSv which is by far more than an xray can deliver at the airport.

Before I went to Chernobyl last week I prepared a small plastic box with 1 mm lead and placed 2 pen dosimeters inside and 2 outside in my carry on luggage and also 2 in my inchecked luggage.
None of the dosimeters had picked up any measurable radiation. The scale is 0-200.
The only problem with this test was with the security personell at the airport in Stockholm, Sweden and in Kiev, Ukraine. At least in Stockholm they do not seems to know what dosimeters are and the use of it.

Carl

Very interesting, thansk for tesing and sharing with us! What kind of problem did you have with the customs? Did you only had to explain what it was or did you have show them papers of some kind?