Do Airport X-Ray Machines Affect eBook Readers? Understanding the Real Risk of Static Charge

Mobile consumer electronics are generally treated with care by users, as many people prefer an intact appearance and also wish to ensure functionality isn’t compromised by potential screen damage.

This consideration not only applies to smartphones and tablets but also to eBook readers (whose display technology also primarily relies on a glass substrate). For these reasons, many people use suitable covers to protect their devices.

However, in recent weeks, another potential threat to eReaders has repeatedly emerged in the blogging community: the X-ray machines used at airport security checks are rumored to possibly damage the device and ruin the screen.

To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to this rumor, as I didn’t think it held much truth. However, this may have been premature, as there’s apparently a possible explanation for the screen failure experienced by some eReader users after going through airport security checks.

Beware of Strong Electrostatic Charges

It’s not the X-ray, or the radiation, that can damage the display or other electronics, but rather static charge caused by the friction of the rubber covers found on and inside the X-ray machine. These charges can reach up to 100 volts, says a Cambridge professor. If this charge is transferred to the eReader, it could be enough to disrupt the E-Ink microcapsules in the display.

The reason: these capsules are reoriented during normal operation through electrical charges. This process could be interrupted by a strong external charge, leading to the electronic ink being stuck in a single state and no longer manipulable.

Since many Kindle customers in the United States apparently often travel by plane and have expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation, Amazon is keen to reassure them: “Many Kindle users fly with their devices, and their Kindles go through security checks every day without any issues.” To prevent further concerns, Amazon has replaced the affected Kindles.

I’ve also taken my eBook reader through numerous airport security checks and never had any trouble. Even my very first device (Sony PRS-505) traveled for several years without any issues. However, my reader was always inside a bag or protective cover and was never in direct contact with any parts of the X-ray machines.

So, the next time you fly, it’s advisable to do the same and not send your eBook reader through the X-ray machine without a cover. It would be a shame to find yourself without any reading material at your vacation destination.