Geiger counters in customs at IAH?
 

Has CBP always had geiger counters at the customs checkpoint? When traveling back into the country with my father in late March, we were quickly pulled into a back room when we were approaching the desk to clear customs and asked if we had been in contact with any nuclear material recently. The CBP agents were all business and quite stern with us and basically tried the whole intimidation route. They told us that one of us tested positive for radioactive material and it then became apparent to me that it was my father who set it off because he had just had a cardiac perfusion test during which they inject radioactive isotopes that remain active in the body for a while. He had the test 7-8 days earlier. We explained this to the agents, and of course they asked for proof, of which we had none because this is not something we anticipated. We ended up giving them the name and phone number of his physician and after more questioning they released us and told us next time that if we had any type of medical procedure in the future that involved the use of radioactive isotopes to bring a letter from the physician if we were planning on traveling. This isn't that big of a deal except that we almost missed our connecting flight because of it. The gate agent had already given up our seat when we arrived at the gate, but after explaining what happened and a tiny bit of fussing (I know, I hate fussing, but it was the last flight of the day and my dad had an important business meeting in the morning), they removed the stand-by passengers from the plane who had taken our seats and gave us our original seats.

The weird thing about this is I never saw a geiger counter anywhere. While in the back room, they used a device to determine what type of ionizing radiation my father was emitting (I guess to make sure it wasn't gamma waves he was emitting), but that was the only time I ever saw a geiger type machine. How did they localize the radiation to us while waiting in the customs queue? It was really crowded and the few times I've played with a geiger, the only way to determine the location of the radiation is to move closer to it which causes the geiger to become louder. I think I would have noticed someone closing in on me with a geiger.

Has anyone else experienced anything else like this? Is this something new?

They're at PVG, although without the intimidation. My wife set them off--a hoop that looks like the metal detector and then a second one at customs that looks like the theft-tag-detection pillars you see in many stores.

Note that if you know you're going to be traveling you ask for a card at the place that nuked you--they have a little thing that says how much of what isotope you got.

We knew she would be slightly hot and got the card. She changed jackets at the last moment and left it home. We got through LAS and SFO fine, it was only PVG that pinged and that was 10 half-lives after the test. They asked her about nuclear exposure, she immediately mentioned the test. No big deal, they didn't even attempt to isolate that it was her and not something she was carrying. (Note: She's a native speaker, there was no communications problems.) We never left the vicinity of the detection machine and were on our way in a few minutes.

When she hit the second detector at customs nobody even cared.

:eek:

I remember reading something that a few US airports were going to be testing Radiological detection devices over the next year or so. I'll see if I can find the FT link. I believe they mentioned DEN... What an "interesting" experience!

It's a shame you didn't tell these filthy degenerates that your Father's personal medical history is private, and that the law upholds it remaining private..

On another note thank you for pointing out that these creatures have the ability to determine if radioactivity is emanating from a biological source, or that it is present at all. This is extremely useful information. ^

In telling them that, you would already alert them to the fact that you have a medical condition, though.

The better question is why they would pursue the matter if they are able to isolate the source of radiation as a person's body and the amount of radiation detected is minor.

Is that U-235 in your pocket or . . . :rolleyes:

Exactly. Last I checked, CBP isn't exempt from the ADA and they can't refuse a US citizen entry anyway.

Good point (not on the ADA, but the other point).

After they search a traveler's person and luggage, what can they do, pump the traveler's stomach to look for . . . what? :rolleyes:

Remember, they are subject to restrictions on any inspection that violates the personal dignity of the traveler.

Not enough restrictions though . . .

Yep, it was DEN a few months ago.

Yes, but there is a big difference between "I have a medical condition that requires XYZ", and "I am an ABC patient and require treatment with XYZ". It's one thing to state you have a medical condition and another to divulge it. I think that's exactly what many people object to at TSA checkpoints - namely that nine times out of ten, if you declare something as being necessary for a medical condition, they shoot back with ""What is your medical conditon?"

I would have thought following up with a well worded generic question would tweeze out whether or not someone had received a radioactive pharmaceutical. Leave the theatrics and good cop bad cop to Hollywood please, and let passengers negotiate an already needless exercise (immigration and customs) with the dignity they deserve.

I believe they check for radiation at most, if not all (major) US ports of entry.

Have heard of individuals alarming at other ports of entry -- including other airports and even ground crossings on the US/Mexico border after a nuclear medicine test.

Very interesting, thank you for the link. The agents must have had the "pager" sized device because I never saw anything. What a pain in the rear. I wonder what the next step in securing our borders will be.

CBP agents in stationed in Canada for pre-clearance all have a pager sized device on their belt to detect radiation in general. After that it is a trip to secondary where they have the more expensive units which can detect exactly what radiation has been found.

FYI - all international general aviation aircraft are scanned upon arrival to the U.S. using handheld Radiation Isotope Identification Devices (RIID) by CBP officers.

When I had the same test the hospital gave me a letter with the name of the isotope, when it was administered, Beq and half life. I was down to 1/64th of the original level when I went through YYZ and stood farther away than normal to play it safe.

You emit gamma rays with that isotope. So does fissionable bomb material.

The radiation emited from different sources has a different energy signature and by using that signature you can determine what is being detected.

Scintillation counter.

When my wife pinged the PVG detector she was down to 1/1024 of the original.

But they are different energy levels.

Yes, but it's not quite that simple. It is easy to characterize a pure, unshielded sample of a radioactive substance -- I can tell you by the spectrum in what plant and when fissionable material was made, if a previous sample is available. Shielded material of unknown source and purity is another matter, and specific shielding can be used to mask the apparent identity of a radioactive substance. Simple screening instruments detect the presence of gamma radiation, but more sophisticated techniques and confirmation of no intervening "artful" shielding are required to positively identify the type of radioactive material present.

That being said, however, it is simple to tell if a person presenting themselves as having had a Nuclear Medicine procedure has a point source of radiation (possible smuggling), or whether they have the expected distribution and characteristic radiation of the radionuclide tracer used in their procedure.

About two years ago my wife had some radiation therapy. About a month afterward we travelled to Switzerland, transiting CDG. Nothing happened until we returned to IAH.

A very polite CBP officer at the exit (with a beeper of some kind going off) asked "Excuse me, did either of you recently have a medical procedure?". My wife says "Yes", and he says "Welcome home and I hope everything is OK". It wasn't until we had exited that we discussed the matter and realized what must have happened.

So we got out of the US, through French and Swiss airports, and not until we get home do they realize we have higher than normal radiation? That is the scary part, not being asked politely about a condition that obviously caused an alarm. I can live with that, especially after watching the current season of 24!

Not wishing to pry, but assuming that by radiation therapy you meant injection/ingestion of radioactive substance, or implantation of radioactive seeds/device. If, however, your wife received conventional external beam therapy you or she should in no way have set off a radiation alarm.