Originally Posted by
chollie
I can believe that nitroglycerine (explosive) is on some SSI list of banned substances (like the C4 that inexplicably passed inspection at one airport).
I know nothing about the explosive 'nitro' - I don't even know if is a liquid or solid. I do know that a raft of people who should have known better decided that 'nitro' in any form or quantity for any purpose is prohibited. TSA is clearly still confused about the matter, because the website addresses medical nitro under the LGA rules. To the best of my knowledge, medical nitro only comes in pill and patch form.
Not unlike the over-reaction some people experienced when a swab test alarmed on lotion or soap residue. It was a known issue, but some TSOs still pretended like they were on to the 'big catch' and acted accordingly.
I only know what I see on TV, in movies, and in documentaries, but AFAIK, explosive nitro is a highly volatile liquid, sensitive to physical disturbance. Shake it, and boom.
I am not 100% certain - and I'm too scared of the NSA to Google it - but I believe that dynamite contains nitroglycerin, but soaked into multiple layers of paper, making it much more stable. But that comes from a movie, so it could be utter hogwash.
Originally Posted by
chollie
Boggie, if you had been there that day and accused like I was and threatened like I was, you would understand. I was told that any future 'problem' would result in my being put on a watch list.
A data point: my entire supply is never more than 15 pills - that's how they are dispensed, in a tiny (much smaller than your baby finger) glass bottle inside a regular pill bottle (big enough to hold the label).
I realize it's extremely likely I would ever be caught. The pills were only discovered during a very detailed (read everything, swab everything) bag search. My pills didn't alarm the swab (he didn't open the bottle and swab the internal contents) - he read the label and gasp! - discovered my 'artfully concealed' contraband in its clearly labelled prescription bottle.
Medicine and medical restrictions had nothing to do with it (according to TSA). They reacted the same way Texas TSOs did to seeing clearly labelled, government issue C4 in a veteran's bag. No way, no how, ain't gonna pass.
If it was so simple and clearcut as we all think it should be, then why does TSA refuse to update the website? We have been told before on this board that the blog is voluntary, un-moderated, unofficial and non-binding at the checkpoint. TSA has clearly deliberately chosen to not update the website to reflect the fact that medical nitro is not always an LGA (I have never heard of it in any form except pills and patches). And of course, the guy who was behind the blog update conveniently no longer works for TSA.....
I know that medical nitro comes in a liquid spray form, as well as pills and patches. I don't know if the spray is topical or ingestable, though. Everyone in my family who has ever used medical nitro has had the pills. Heck, I have one of those metal nitro pill tubes on my own keychain, even though I've never needed the med - it was my grandfather's, and I've had it on my keychain ever since he passed away in 1997. It just reminds me of him, whenever I look at it.
If I were in your position, I would probably do as Boogie Dog suggests. However, it's your decision and you need to do what's best for YOU, which isn't necessarily what would be best for me if I were in your position.
I know what it's like to choose differently than the majority of FTers; I despise the NoS, but I never opt out, because the idea of a pat down makes my skin crawl. I never opted out even when they had the perv box, and now that the machine uses ATR and makes no image, I have no philosophical objection to it, other than its abysmal rate of false positives and potential for false negatives.
So I support you on not taking your nitro pills, even though I disagree with the decision. It's yours to make. I just hope that one day soon you won't be forced to make that decision any more.