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TSA to swab airline passengers' hands in search for explosives

Do you support the policy of swabbing hands of random fliers to test for explosives?

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Coronado

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TSA to swab airline passengers' hands in search for explosives

By Jeanne Meserve and Mike M. Ahlers, CNN
February 17, 2010 11:22 a.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- To the list of instructions you hear at airport checkpoints, add this: "Put your palms forward, please."

The Transportation Security Administration soon will begin randomly swabbing passengers' hands at checkpoints and airport gates to test them for traces of explosives.

Previously, screeners swabbed some carry-on luggage and other objects as they searched for the needle in the security haystack -- components of terrorist bombs in an endless stream of luggage.

But after the Christmas Day attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 over Detroit, Michigan, the TSA began a program of swabbing passengers' hands, which could be contaminated by explosive materials, experts say. The TSA will greatly expand the swabbing in the coming weeks, the agency said.

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Interesting. I certainly prefer this to whole-body scanners. I wonder what will happen when heart patients test positive for nitroglycerine though ...
 
I wonder how successful this is going to be when a terrorist washes his hands.
 
apdst said:
I wonder how successful this is going to be when a terrorist washes his hands.
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Actually he could wash his hands a hundred times and the residue would still be on them.

Much harder then you think to get rid of bomb residue. Can't see this hurting.
 
ScottD said:
Actually he could wash his hands a hundred times and the residue would still be on them.

Much harder then you think to get rid of bomb residue. Can't see this hurting.
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So if I go to the shooting range the day before, would I still test positive? Hmm ...
 
Coronado said:
So if I go to the shooting range the day before, would I still test positive? Hmm ...
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Yes, you could.......;)
All that means is that they will check you closer....
If someone had common sense thay might avoid something that would test positive...
 
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ScottD said:
Actually he could wash his hands a hundred times and the residue would still be on them.
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As Coranado pointed out, the terrorist could use gloves.

Much harder then you think to get rid of bomb residue. Can't see this hurting.
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Hard, not impossible.
 
Coronado said:
So if I go to the shooting range the day before, would I still test positive? Hmm ...
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I doubt that they would test for gunpowder. Most likely they would test for less common types of explosives.
 
ScottD said:
I doubt that they would test for gunpowder. Most likely they would test for less common types of explosives.
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That would pose a problem, though. Say the bad guys run a guinea pig through with gunpowder residue, the TSA tests him and he comes out negative. Now they know to make their explosive with gunpowder.

I'm not saying they should or shouldn't test for explosives, but I am sort of interested in how they would draw a line regarding what they are testing for.
 
They don't tell you exactly what they test for, for that very reason.

People could still figure it out with your guinea pig plan, eventually. However, flagging an explosive test is going to get you pulled aside, identified, questioned, searched, background checked, fingerprinted, etc. Too much scrutiny for someone in that sort of business.
 
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