This photo shows passengers pass through a X-ray screening machine at the Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan Province. (Photo/Southern Metropolis Daily)
(ECNS) -- The Ministry of Environmental Protection has called for an immediate stop to using X-ray screening machines for security checks at Shuangliu International Airport near the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
The airport was subject to online outcries for using the machines without posting warnings at prominent locations about the potential danger of radiation.
In response, the ministry asked the provincial bureau to stop the production, sale and use of X-ray equipment without acquiring prior approval in order to safeguard public security.
It said X-ray equipment used to safely check the human body should be strictly controlled according to domestic requirements and international practices, which ban large-scale use among the public.
Railway stations have also installed the system, which is said to dramatically expedite the security check process compared to more commonly used techniques.
The producer previously claimed the equipment was the result of joint efforts by scientists at China's leading research institutes and experts from the Ministry of Public Security.
