TSA "Explosive Detected" Graph/Printout...
 

Are these considered 'confidential'? or I guess in TSA speak 'SSI'.


Have looked through google images and never found one.

Not specifically TSA, but

http://snallabolaget.com/?page_id=3098

Generally, they're looking for nitrogen-based substances... so if you happen to have stepped in doggie doo, walked in wet grass which had been fertilized recently, etc., you'll set it off.

Just wondering if the graph I have is SSI or not....

Products with glycerins are known to alarm. I don't know if they are nitrogen based or not. We also know that items with hydrogen peroxide will alarm the TSA's ETD testers.

The problem is that these devices cannot discriminate between a hand lotion or an explosive.

TSA's ETD testers are near worthless when they give more false alarms than actual hits on threat items.

Perhaps we should use the same criteria for TSA overall.

Unless you're an employee of DHS, SSI doesn't apply to you.

Which is odd because unless DHS has bought bottom of the barrel machines they certainly can discriminate across those things. I suspect the machines have been set up to trigger on the most general of nitrate and phosphate spikes. Doing that would reduce the need for operator training/capability and also (if you were being really cheap and cynical) servicing of the machines themselves.

Glycerin contains no nitrogen. It's propane where one hydrogen on each carbon atom is replaced with an -OH.

I do understand the problem with fertilizer, though. Ammonium nitrate is fertilizer. It's also high explosive, although stable enough that you need to use another explosive charge, not merely a blasting cap, to set it off.

Actually, SSI applies to "covered persons" which includes many non-government employees such as airline employees or contractors who have access to SSI. You don't have to be an employee of DHS to be a covered person.

Which applies to (solid) deo roll-on, too. Had to re-run security in MAN over that ("put that into the liquids bag"). :rolleyes: