Airport security makes married mother go through body scanner THREE times... after telling her she had a 'cute' figure

Ellen Terrell was flying with her husband from Dallas Airport

A married mother was subjected to repeated body scanning at an airport after being told by one employee that she had a 'cute' figure.



Ellen Terrell was travelling with her husband Charlie when she was stopped by airport security and told she had been 'randomly selected' for screening by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).



Mrs Terrell, from Dallas, Texas, believes that she was exploited and felt 'totally exposed' for the benefit of male employees viewing the scanned images, which give a detail image of the naked body, in a back room.

Violated: Ellen Terrell (right) who has two sons, was travelling with her husband Charlie (left) from Dallas Airport when she was asked to go through the TSA body scanner three times by airport staff

She told CBS 11 that she was asked by a female employee: 'Do you play tennis?'



When she said that she didn't and asked why, the airport worker responded: ' You just have such a cute figure.'

Mrs Terrell, who is an IT executive, was then asked to stand in the full body scanner for a second time at Dallas International Airport.



Remarks: Mrs Terrell was told she had a 'cute' figure by a TSA employee before being repeatedly scanned

After being made to stand in the machine, which uses radiaton, for a third time, Mrs Terrell heard the female employee say into her microphone: 'Guys, it is not blurry, I'm letting her go.'

The Terrells believe that she was subjected to sexual harassment - and they are not alone in their worries.



The passenger screening program at airports has had frequent complaints that not all passengers are screened in the same way.



In reaction to this, the TSA has replaced the machines which give a detailed outline of individuals' figures for a more generic shape.

More than 600 Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) units have now been installed at 140 airports across the U.S.



On the updated machine, the passenger and the TSA worked both view the image together which lights up on screen if it detects a problem.

The need for a separate TSA officer viewing the image in another room is no longer required.



A spokeswoman for TSA told MailOnline: 'The new images are very generic and really focus on the privacy of the passenger. They see the same image as the staff.'

The images of passengers are not stored or print and cannot be transmitted.



They are deleted from the system once they have been viewed.



Those who fly are not required by law to pass through AIT screening - but if they opt out, they will receive alternative screening, including a physical pat-down.

MailOnline was awaiting a response from the TSA as to how many complaints the agency had received from passengers about the older machine invading their privacy.



Mrs Terrell did not file a complaint because she didn't realise that she could, according to CBS.

In November, European countries said it would not install the scanners until their risks had been properly assessed.

The controversial scanners emit low radiation doses but research has suggested up to 100 U.S. airline passengers a year could get cancer from them.

Under the microscope: Ellen Terrell, pictured with her husband Charlie, said she felt 'totally exposed' during her full body scan at Dallas airport

The TSA has continued to defend the safety of the X-ray devices, saying they expose passengers to the same radiation as two minutes on a flying plane.

'Guys, it is not blurry, I'm letting her go.'

TSA female colleague into her microphone after Mrs Terrell was scanned three times

The agency also said that more than 300 dangerous or illegal items have been found on air passengers since 2010, reported Forbes.

The first X-ray body scanner was developed in 1992 by Steven W. Smith.



He sold the technology and rights to Rapiscan Systems, who now manufacture and distribute the device.

Fears about the health risks were raised in the U.S. as far back as 1998 when the machine known as the Secure 1000 was evaluated by a panel of radiation safety experts brought together by the Food and Drug Administration.

Wife and mother: Mrs Terrell said that she felt male employees in a back room were looking at the scanned image which gave a detailed look of her body

Harassed: Mrs Terrell from Dallas said that a female employee told her she had a cute figure before she was repeated screened

FLYING IN THE FACE OF THE LAW?

In November 2010 a female passenger claimed she was made to feel 'like a terrorist' for bringing breast milk she had pumped earlier through security at Phoenix airport. Stacey Armato had 12 ounces of breast milk with her and as per TSA guidelines, she requested the milk not be passed through the X-ray scanner because of possible radiation. Last October, a TSA agent faced dismissal after finding a sex toy in woman's bag and leaving her a note saying: 'Get your freak on girl'.

They all expressed concerns about the machine because it violated a longstanding principle that humans should not be X-rayed unless there is a medical purpose.

The machine’s inventor told panelists that machine would most probably not be widely used for many years to come.



Now there are 600 units in 140 airports across the U.S.

The TSA was introduced in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to increase security on transport in America.



The agency has been criticised for its heavy-handed tactics.



On January 11, an airline passenger was stunned three times with a Taser gun after he refused to complete an airport screening check and ran into a secure area.

Edwin Barton, 26, arrived at Sacramento International Airport on an inbound flight last month. When Mr Barton realised he had left belongings in the secure area and would need to return, employees told him he would need to be scanned again.

Modified: The old Advanced Imaging Technology scanner (left) and the improved version which is less invasive (right)