Traveling with Nitro Pills
 

I have seen tons of discussion on Nitro pills the last couple of months and am starting this thread to give more information to those of you that would like to know the status on this item. Nitroglycerine pills are an allowed substance based on the following page : http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-informat...ohibited-items

The result when "nitro pills is entered into the search box is as follows:

Search Results For:

nitro pills

Check or Carry-on
TSA allows larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in reasonable quantities for your trip, but you must declare them to security officers at the checkpoint for inspection.
We recommend, but do not require, that your medications be labeled to facilitate the security process.

You may carry non-medically necessary liquids, gels and aerosols in your carry-on bags only if they adhere to the 3-1-1 rule: containers must be 3.4 ounces or less; stored in a 1 quart/liter zip-top bag; 1 zip-top bag per person. Larger amounts of non-medicinal liquids, gels, and aerosols must be placed in checked baggage.

Even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. The final decision rests with TSA on whether to allow any items on the plane.


I hope that this helps in the discussion.

No, it does not help the discussion, due to this:

Update with more information -

Nitroglycerin patch gives this result -

Search Results For:

nitroglycerin patch

Check or Carry-on
You may transport this item in carry-on baggage or in checked baggage. For items you wish to carry-on, you should check with the airline to ensure that the item will fit in the overhead bin or underneath the seat of the airplane.
To help officers get a clear look at your bag and reduce the need for additional screening, we suggest you pack your bag in neat layers (layer of clothes, layer of electronics, layer of clothes, layer of shoes, etc.) and wrap cords tightly around electronics items.

Even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. The final decision rests with TSA on whether to allow any items on the plane.

It also depends upon where the particular clerk got his medical degree and in which state he's licensed to practice medicine.

The TSA needs to come out with a statement that ALL prescribed meds are allowed on a plane, absolutely no exceptions, and no screener is allowed to deny any passenger his/her medication.

That would have to come from much higher up the food chain than myself. I am simply relaying information that I have seen questions on for some time, and I (now) have the published information to back up the answer that I am giving.

I appreciate this, <deleted>, and I know you personally have nothing to do with the decisions HQ makes.

I suspect what is now available to the public on the website is exactly what was in place as SSI SOP when my pills were confiscated. Nothing appears to have changed in that regard.

They were confiscated because the 'final decision' was that the medical rules were overridden by the zero tolerance, NO exceptions rule that applies to certain substances, regardless of purpose or quantity. In principle, I get that, I really do. I have no doubt that TSOs are trained 'when in doubt, don't take chances, take the item'.

I never suggested that my pills were confiscated because of one rogue TSO. Multiple 'layers' of TSOs were summoned, all the way up to suits, and the opinion was unanimous: two rules were in conflict, and the rule about explosive substances was more important. The threats I got that day went way beyond DY...T - more like DY...EverAgain.

Reminder: there was no alarm, swabbing didn't test positive. The pills were found during a bag search when the TSO read the label on the bottle.

The published information does not address the issue, however. Until it does, your response is generally useless.

<deleted>, I truly appreciate the effort you've made, but to be perfectly candid, it's useless to simply repeat the information from the TSA web site - which we've all looked at ourselves multiple times, including the very same searches you've done - rather than taking it up the line and getting some definitive policy clarification from your superiors.

If you look at Chollie's experience, what you see is a systemic stupidity. Multiple layers of TSA all said, "No nitro pills", and for only one reason - because explosives are prohibited in any quantities, no matter how small.

Well, that's fine, except medical nitro pills and patches are NOT explosive, in any quantities. I could take 50 pounds of them aboard a plane, pound them to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle, and they WOULD NOT EXPLODE. The other chemicals mixed with with the nitro in pills and patches chemically neutralizes the explosive component, rendering it completely harmless.

However, the ridiculous urban legend that nitro pills can explode continues to be perpetuated by ignorant people. The multiple TSA employees who backed the confiscation of Chollie's pills - thus endangering his life - were all acting under a delusion.

Since you are not only a front-line TSO, but also a member of the TSA blog team, I challenge you to push this as far up the chain as you can, and not only through your direct chain of command at GSO, but through the blog team as well. I don't know whether Bob has any direct line to the upper management of the agency, but seeing as how he officially represents them on a mass media outlet, I would assume that he does, since he has to clear any information releases with someone before he puts them on the web. Talk to him.

Push till it gives, <deleted>. You have an opportunity here to potentially save lives by fighting against incompetence and ignorance in TSA ranks. And the best part of it is that you will not be challenging any established policy in any way - you'll only be asking that upper management send out a memo and a press release verifying that an urban myth is demonstrably false - that nitro pills and patches are permitted items because they ARE NOT EXPLOSIVES and thus are completely harmless to both aircraft and passengers.

Well, for the sake of exactness, any powder will explode if at the right mix in the air when a spark is applied.

Coal, flour, nitro pills, chalk, sugar, plastic, wood, cardboard, hops, corn stalks, whey, cotton, wool. Anything. You name it, if it has carbon in it and it is powdered enough and floating free in the air at the right density when you apply a spark then you can make it explode. :)

Making enough of something in powder form and then getting it to explode on a plane such that it could cause any harm to anything or anyone, however, is so ridiculous that it's simply not going to happen.

As everyone except TSA seems to understand, nitro pills are zero risk to aviation.

That story is just about the scariest on here, and that's saying something. The fact that the TSA has the power to take away medication because they feel like it is horrifying.

Mike

Nitro pills are not the only medical item not allowed.

There is one contact lens solution that is not permitted.

Like nitro pills, the solution falls in two categories: medical and zero tolerance forbidden substance. As is the case with nitro pills, the stricter rule is applied.

A more accurate statement would be that any TSA screener can, on a whim, make up and impose any rule prohibiting any item. That is the practical reality.

No TSA clerk has to make up a rule to prohibit an item. It is already codified:

"The final decision rests with TSA on whether to allow any items on the plane."