Pregnancy and Security
 

Not all of you will be able to respond, but as I am pregnant with my first, I am having a great deal of difficulty going through security at airports. I will not go through the x-ray, therefore, I have to be escorted around and "patted down" while my carry-on bags/computer go through the xray machine. As a business traveler, I usually do not have anyone with me to watch my stuff. EWR has been quite accommodating with me, however BOS, ORD, MSY, and MCO have been nothing but rude and unhelpful to go out of there way. As a CO Elite, I expect more. Any tips for security to ensure my belongings are watched and I can get through security safely? The mommy-to-be needs some help!

I believe that all of your belongings are ALWAYS supposed to be within your sight while they are doing security inspections on you or any of your other belongings. You can insist on this. While it may take a few moments longer for them to collect all your items and bring them to your search area, it is worthwhile, IMHO.

As for your Continetal Elite status, that holds no water what so ever with the TSA folks, nor does CO have anything to say about their inspections. The government barely allows the airlines to control the lines up to the security check points, but they have nothing at all to say about the method or manner in which the inspections are handled.

Good luck and congratulations on your first child!

My wife is 4-month pregnant, and we need to fly to NY. Are you saying it is not safe to go thru the metal detector? Only the carry on will go thru the x-ray, but not the passengers, right?! Am I missing something? Well, this is our first baby too, maybe I am just being ignorant!

I am not an obstetrician but I have never read of any negative health effects due to metal detectors.

Metal detectors *do not* emit any type of radiation. They operate by use of an electromagnetic field. The hand held ones work on exactly the same principal as the walk through ones. If you believe that this is injuring your baby then you should also not walk through any retail stores / libraries that use electromagnetic security tags.

There is a visual walk through x-ray system that I have heard about but I have never encountered it. See http://www.rapiscan.com/secure1000.html

Keba

Try cross-posting to the Travel Security forum in FlyerTalk Travel. There are several TSA employees who frequent that section. They should be able to offer more help.

If you do insist on something to worry about you can see this FT thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...ML/005431.html

The magnetometer creates a static magnetic field and the amount of displacement seen is what triggers a metal detection.

I saw a sign at a security line on Friday saying that the traveler has the right to request a private area for the search of their self and belongings.

http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=57

Congratulations on your first little one, and welcome to FlyerTalk!

To reiterate and expand upon what others have already posted:

- You really don't have anything to worry about in going through the security checkpoint, pregnant or not. Unlike the implication in your original posts, passengers, unlike carry-ons put on the conveyor belt, are not subject to X-ray examination at the security checkpoint (notwithstanding the "reality TV" hidden camera stunt at IFP that is now the subject of a lawsuit).

- Walking through the metal detector subjects you to a static electro-magnetic (EM) field, but the strength of this field is so negligible as to be the least of your worries. Per the link provided by another poster, the extra cosmic radiation you receive while in flight at altitude is a far greater concern to your unborn child's health than anything the metal detector is going to do.

- If you instead get a hand inspection, you better make sure that it's actually a literal "hand" inspection, and not done with a handheld "wand." As someone else already mentioned, these operate on exactly the same prinicples as the detector you walk through.

- Despite the above, if you are still concerned about the EM field generated by the metal detector, consider the other far more potent sources of such radiation that you encounter in your daily life, including radio transmitters. Consider that a garage door opener must transmit its signal at least 100 feet, and that a cellular telephone needs to potentially transmit several miles to get to the nearest base station. Do either of these devices operate anywhere near you? Perhaps do you operate these devices yourself? The risks of an airport metal detector is down in the noise compared to everything else present in the modern world.

- If you are still worried about walking through the airport metal detector, you have no busisness boarding a plane or being anywhere near any number of modern electronics. You probably should confine yourself to an Amish enclave. I don't mean to be offensive by this comment, but it's probably accurate to say that there are very few situations in the US that you can be over time at less a health risk from radiation than what you'd receive from an airport metal detector.

There is no medical reason for you to avoid the passenger medical detector. IF you are paranoid about possible problems, remember that most organogenisis occurs in the first trimester; after week 12-14, any theoretical problems decrease greatly.

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I am not real smart, but I can lift heavy things.
As God as my witness, I will never fly coach again (sorry, Scarlett).

A true magnetometer measures the intensity of a magnetic field. It does not emit anything.


An airport metal dectector (PI - pulse induction type) works by emitting a pulse about 100 times per second and looks at the reflected pulse decay time. Adding metal in the pulse chamber (where you walk in) increases the decay time.

It is different than a 'wand' type metal detector, which works like the ones you see beach comers using. That typically works by emitting a continious wave and measuring the frequency shift change that a metal object makes. This is a BFO (beat-frequency oscillator) type. Another type is a VLF (Very low frequency).

All work by emitting a pulse and/or a continious frequency. None by a static magnetic field.

See http://<a href="http://travel.howstu...urity2.htm</a>

Dave

You'll get more radiation flying at 35,000 feet for 5 hours than being shoved through an xray machine. From a radiologist friend, anyway.

Considering how long pregnant women have been flying on airplanes & going through metal detectors, if it was really so unsafe shouldn't we have legions of malformed kids (and subsequent lawsuits, no doubt) by now?

As others have said, the metal detector is the least of your problems when traveling by air.

As everyone has their own opinions on the xray machine, my physician has advised me not to go through. Some new books on the market also state that pregnant women should avoid the machine...but again, it is an individual decision.

Again, EWR has been great about getting my belongings from the belt, but there are times when you can not see your stuff, as you are escoted by TSA around the back or into a private room and your stuff is on the belt. FLL was great about it yesterday also.

Everyone seems to have replied to the implied message of this topic, but looking at the title all I think is that it's protection, not security, that can help with pregnancy.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

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...or passengers swim.

The background level of electromagnetic radiation that you get while while standing a few feet from the X-ray and magnetometer machines (not to mention the flourescent lights, etc.) asking the TSA to search you in another room will FAR exceed the "dose" you get from actually walking through the machine.

This reminds me of a snooze story about the "dangers" of electric blankets some years ago. The amount of electromagnetic radiation from the blankets was virtually indistinguishable from the background amounts and scientists had to go into a special laboratory that masked the backgrond levels just to measure it.

Did your doctor also warn you about the amount of radiation you are exposed to when sitting in an aluminum tube at 35k feet for 3 or 4 hours?