Hand swabbing at ABQ
 

Security theatre was in full force at ABQ today.

There was a two-striper clerk swabbing hands after the ID/BP checkpoint. I have never seen this before.

Here's how my encounter went.

Two-striper: "Sir, please set your stuff on the table so I can swab your hands."

Michael El: "Oh geez"

Two-striper: "How's your day going sir?"

Michael El: "It was okay until now." (Eyes rolling)

Two-striper: As he's swabbing my palms. "Sir, we just want to keep you safe."

Michael El: "I'm sure the Germans thought the same thing when they conspired to kill six-million Jews."

Two-striper: Taking a deep breath and gritting his teeth. "You're clear have a safe flight."

Just be careful about handwashing in the ABQ restrooms. When you use their soap, your hands will test positive for explosives. This happened to me last year and I was taken to the private room, all my stuff was pawed through, and they kept testing my hands over and over until I told them I had just washed my hands in the airport. The 2 TSOs gave each other a "look" (as in - this happens all the time) and sent me on my way.

This is not uncommon in ABQ. The ID station almost always has a large detachment of the thousands standing around, but has recently added the random say you name game and swabbing to the mix.

ABQ has had mandatory NOS in place for months. Mandatory meaning it is the primary screening system and only option besides groping [except for little kids, military, etc.].

ABQ routinely has ABQ police and CBP officers standing behind the ID checkers. I've never seen them do anything. The worst I've ever counted was 19 (incl. TSA stupervisors) standing behind three ID checkers, but at least they are there to keep us safe. :rolleyes:

There must be high levels of glycerin in the soap. I'll remember to wash up after security.

I'm only in ABQ every nine weeks or so and this is the first time I've witnessed crap like this.:rolleyes: This was also the first day I've seen the mandatory NoS.

I have always opted out of the hand swaps. I don't know what's on those test strips, so therefor, they will not come in contact with my body.

The hand swabbing station, right behind the ID checkers has been there for awhile, but the first time I saw anyone doing hand swabbing was my last flight out on 2/13. Swabber was actually going down the line BEFORE the ID checker swabbing hands.

Considering the chaos that was reigning that morning, w/only 2 lanes open & NoS' in action (lines into the NoS were upwards of 6-8 each, the swabber & the roving gate check crew would have been much better off doing something useful like opening up another lane.

But, then again, this is the TSA & they've never done anything useful during the course of their entire existence :td:

Using a new swab for each person and running it back to the machine, or using the same swab on multiple people assuming they will all be negative, and that nothing gets transferred from pax to pax on the magic antiseptic swab?

I'm sure its much much cleaner than the airplane seat you might touch and your laptop computer. It's a silly thing to be worried about IMHO. The real concern should not be that they touch you with a test strip, it's really that they have no idea what it actually means when the screen turns red (hint: it doesn't actually mean explosives!), and that they think that the logical way to clear this situation is to grope you some more...

Cross-contamination is far too big of a word for the TSA...:rolleyes:

It's not a matter of cleanliness, it's a matter of I need to know what chemicals are on the swab.

In addition the TSA has no training in anything that is related to hand swabbing or actual testing. :td:
Just another thing that they try to make it look like "safety"

There are no chemicals. It's a simple Nomex or Teflon sheet, depending on the ETD used.

As to why it's made out of a DuPont product? Heat resistance since part of the process involves vaporizing the sample so it can be ionized and analyzed.

I'd bet against Teflon, then, unless they're using a different formulation.

Vaporized Teflon is scary, scary toxic.

How do you do that? Do you just say "opt-out" and keep walking?

Nomex and Teflon sheets are made of chemicals; but given how much consumption of canned goods people have, worry about skin contact with Nomex or Teflon coat products would seem relatively overblown. Just hope those coats don't go poof too. ;)