At 11:51 AM 11/18/01 +0100, Eugene Leitl wrote:

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gardeners have gotten hassled and delayed because of trace amounts of ammonia-based fertilizers on their person and effects. If you plan to fly,

Salts are different from traces of uncombusted nitrocellulose deposited on any surface of a nearby gun being fired.

KNO3 is of interest to airport security eg in gunpowder. Similar salts are in fertilizer. Ergo the caution. Also, some of us have had a black powder addiction at one time.

Nitroglycerin is not volatile, is present in large dilution (~0.1%) in small quanitities (pharma bottle). Ditto nitrate salts in a water solution.

If you just took an angina pill I imagine the mechanical noses can detect it on your hands or things you touch immediately afterwards.

I think you should be able to get a good positive if you'd fire several rounds of vanilla smokeless with baggage surface being near the muzzle of the gun.

Or blackpowder (or noncorrosive powder substitutes).. or wore that clothing when setting off firecrackers... Try it sometime, if you're unafraid of winding up in a

database.

:-) I've found that transporting computer parts (motherboard) in

hand luggage can suffice to trigger swabbing (if you're really bored you can discuss detection of Semtex traces with airport security).

Not out of San Jose Intl... but discussing Semtex (tm) could get you federal charges in the states... Actually I have seen someone set off the sniffer, the local airline rep came over, they chatted briefly, the person was on their way, maybe 30 extra seconds taken. San Jose again.

Of course, best solution is using human factors to not have your stuff being screened at all.

"Love work, hate domination, and do not let your name come to the attention of the ruling powers." -Talmud/Sayings of the Fathers