Monkeywrenching airport security

David Honig honig at sprynet.com
Sun Nov 18 14:08:58 PST 2001


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





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