Originally Posted by
Boggie Dog
I don't know if TSA uses a different ETD system than the rest of the world but the system used by TSA is plagued with false alarms. My definition of a false alarm is when the system alerts and no contraband is found. Perhaps this is caused by operator error, reusing test swabs, improper storage of test swabs, calibration, or detection thresholds settings. In my opinion when a test system of any kind alarms, no positive reason for that alarm is identified, then the testing system is suspect and near worthless.
I believe the systems are fundamentally the same but it’s possible to adjust the sensitivity, say for example between 1ppm and 100ppm- if you want to make sure you detect every single person with explosives you set it at 1ppm (or whatever the lower limit is), and throw up a bunch of false positives
when I was in Israel literally everything in my bag tested “positive”, such that it all had to be split into smaller packages, boxed and flown in a reinforced compartment on a cargo plane instead of in the belly of my plane (El Al). I’d been living on an army base at the time with my ex so I concede it’s possible there were minute traces from environmental contamination but half the stuff that came up positive had been bought in Israel
have never triggered an ETD positive before or since (touch wood) and I’m “randomly selected” literally every time I fly in Australia