Medical Implants and the TSA
Jan 23, 2010, 1:38 pm
#1
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Medical Implants and the TSA
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story...SQ.cspx?rss=68
I am not believing this and I will bet the TSA has already located the video and the screening did not happen the way this man says.
For the thousands of people who have implanted medical devices, going through airport security machines can be dangerous. That is the reason why their doctors usually tell them to ask to be 'wanded' or 'patted down' instead....
Walking through the metal detector zapped the power out of the battery for his implant, which will usually stay charged for a week. Tyler could hardly walk because of the pain. He ended up cutting his trip short to return home to recharge the battery. On the way back, he was again forced to go through the metal detector....
Walking through the metal detector zapped the power out of the battery for his implant, which will usually stay charged for a week. Tyler could hardly walk because of the pain. He ended up cutting his trip short to return home to recharge the battery. On the way back, he was again forced to go through the metal detector....
Jan 23, 2010, 1:48 pm
#2
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http://www.woai.com/news/local/story...SQ.cspx?rss=68
I am not believing this and I will bet the TSA has already located the video and the screening did not happen the way this man says.
I am not believing this and I will bet the TSA has already located the video and the screening did not happen the way this man says.
Jan 23, 2010, 4:27 pm
#3
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Jan 23, 2010, 7:44 pm
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Jan 23, 2010, 7:57 pm
#6
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All he has for proof is anecdotal. He could have been in soo much pain that he forgot to charge the battery. The side of his story about being told to ask for a handwanding is even more suspect. That wand has higher field strength than the WTMD.
Jan 23, 2010, 8:02 pm
#7
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Are the frequencies the same for the WTMD and the hand wand? Some devices only respond to a relatively narrow band of frequencies.
Jan 23, 2010, 8:28 pm
#9
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http://www.woai.com/news/local/story...SQ.cspx?rss=68
I am not believing this and I will bet the TSA has already located the video and the screening did not happen the way this man says.
I am not believing this and I will bet the TSA has already located the video and the screening did not happen the way this man says.
I don't know about the screening process, but the WTMD doesn't cause batteries to discharge AFAIK. The description sounds like a device called a spinal cord stimulator -- it's basically an internal T.E.N.S. unit. It's sensitive to strong electromagnetic interference, as from a defibrillator or therapeutic ultrasound -- but I don't think the energy from a WMDT is comparable to defibrillators. They can set off WMDT's, though.
Regardless, why didn't they just hand screen him?
~~ Irish
Jan 23, 2010, 8:30 pm
#10
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I don't know about the screening process, but the WTMD doesn't cause batteries to discharge AFAIK. The description sounds like a device called a spinal cord stimulator -- it's basically an internal T.E.N.S. unit. It's sensitive to strong electromagnetic interference, as from a defibrillator or therapeutic ultrasound -- but I don't think the energy from a WMDT is comparable to defibrillators. They can set off WMDT's, though.
Regardless, why didn't they just hand screen him?
~~ Irish
Regardless, why didn't they just hand screen him?
~~ Irish
Jan 23, 2010, 8:53 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,702
I don't know about the screening process, but the WTMD doesn't cause batteries to discharge AFAIK. The description sounds like a device called a spinal cord stimulator -- it's basically an internal T.E.N.S. unit. It's sensitive to strong electromagnetic interference, as from a defibrillator or therapeutic ultrasound -- but I don't think the energy from a WMDT is comparable to defibrillators. They can set off WMDT's, though.
Regardless, why didn't they just hand screen him?
~~ Irish
Regardless, why didn't they just hand screen him?
~~ Irish
Jan 23, 2010, 9:50 pm
#12
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Jan 23, 2010, 10:19 pm
#14
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Jan 23, 2010, 10:36 pm
#15
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But thanks for taking my word. There is actually more to the story, but I can't really say more. Maybe later. All I can say (and still might get I trouble for saying even this, as this is an ongoing event) the video refutes this mans story, he was screened by hand, no electronic equipment, and no TSO argued about it with him. And I seriously doubt the video will be released. I know of another recent "event" at SAT that made the local news, but quickly died when the police and the pax lawyer saw the video; and that video was never released...