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Paris airport starts using full-body scanner

France has started using a full-body security scanner for U.S.-bound passengers at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.
A woman raises her arms in a new full body scanner on the first day of a three-month test at Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, on Feb. 22.
A woman raises her arms in a new full body scanner on the first day of a three-month test at Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, on Feb. 22. JACQUES BRINON / AP
/ Source: The Associated Press

France has started using a full-body security scanner for U.S.-bound passengers at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.

The decision to try out the scanner for three months was prompted by security concerns after a man allegedly tried to ignite explosives hidden in his underwear on a Detroit-bound flight Dec. 25.

The scanner helps detect forbidden objects hidden under clothes.

Reactions varied among passengers who volunteered for the scan after the machine was installed Monday. While some like 47-year-old Miami resident Michael Rammel said the scan was practical and fast, while others worried about potential harmful effects.

The director of France's civil aviation authority, Patrick Gandil, says there is no danger in using the scanner.