Originally Posted by goalie
first question:
l, g & a's have to be in a freedom baggie but what about powders? gonna be a lot of bag opening, (and 'specially in the first few weeks/months of this new "security enhancement") right?
They don't need to be packaged in any kind of special way, like the LGAs do. As far as bag opening goes? Tch... as much as need be, I'd imagine, but like I said above, it's a few-and-far-between thing, as I understand how TSA wants it done. It's not just each and every cotton-pickin' little powder you happen to see in a bag.
Originally Posted by goalie
second question (and this applies to me):
i always travel with a travel size (maybe 3" tall" plasitc bottle of baby powder in my toiletry case and not in a freedom baggie and after too many times of buying the travel size, i have found it more economical (ok, cheaper ) to buy a larger/std size plastic bottle of baby powder and re-fill the smaller ones. the cap is easy to pry off to re-fill and can look "kinda beat up along the edges" so think someone will notice, think someone will care?
If you're traveling with the big bottle, probably.
If it's the smaller bottle you're traveling with, probably not.
Originally Posted by goalie
third question:
* how is the test done? simply squirting out some powder onto a test strip/other testing tool
* is the test done in our presence
* are clean gloves required
* can one request a new vs previously used test strip to eliminate a potential false positive (as i always do now with the shoe swab thanks to your advice after a fp at lax.)
* is there any redress if one is told they cannot take their powders with them or is it like the l,g & a's where it's dump it, send it home or d-y-w-t-f-t?
That's a lot of third questions~
a. More or less. TSA hasn't really told us exactly
how we're supposed to get the sample, just that we have to. I imagine it would be whatever way is best, and would make the least amount of mess. Powder goes onto a test pad, and some stuff is dropped into it with a dropper. Keep your face away from it, though; like I said before, it's pungent, powerful stuff. It's actually similar to
this in terms of physical procedure. Note, however, that this stuff is
NOT what we're going to be using, just similar to it.
b. Of course.
c. If you ask, sure. Otherwise, no, but I wouldn't want to wear the same gloves I just finished doing the test with.
d. The test strips are used once, and then discarded. Each one will be new. The act of performing the test ruins the strip.
e. There's going to be more to it than that, on both counts. Oversize LGA is treated the same as if you found a knife. This, on the other hand, gets more heavy-duty.
All told, however, it's nowhere near as restrictive as the LGA ban is. There is no "war on powder" or across-the-board powder prohibition like there is with powders. It's more like along the lines of a CPAP machine - every CPAP has to be ETD-swabbed after it clears x-ray, and then they're ready to go.
As for the target substance itself...
An example of chlorates in action, in molten form:
1
Two examples of chlorates in action, in powder form, with a catalyst:
2,
3
Physics tells you all you need to know about what happens with that energy if it's contained, rather than allowed to dissipate into open air.