[semi-extrinsic]

> uncertainty about the harmful effects of that radiation

Personally I don't think there is much there to be concerned about. We know these waves penetrate less than 1mm into your skin, and that the only way they can cause damage is by thermal effects. We know it's not ionizing radiation, not by a long shot. I believe getting a sunburn at the beach is far worse.

I think the privacy concerns, and the frequently low efficiacy/high-false-positive rate of these machines are far more cause for concern.

[umanwizard]

How is the comparison to sunburns supposed to make anyone feel better

I go through millimeter wave scanners a few dozen times a year -- getting sunburned that often would dramatically increase your cancer risk.

[semi-extrinsic]

Maybe it's not a good comparison, IDK. The trouble with getting a sunburn is because UV radiation is ionizing, and we know that causes cancer. Even if you don't get sunburnt, frequent unprotected exposure to strong sun increases cancer risk.

Maybe going to the sauna is a better comparison? We don't really have a consistent way of comparing effects of different types of non-ionizing radiation.