DO books send a false positive signal? After clearing immigration and customs in DTW, we redeposited our bags to be taken to our final destination. The We stayed on while the bags went through the X-ray machine as we did not want to unlock our bags and leave them unlocked. One of the suitcases was picked to be examined. This suitcase had books, Biology, Chemistry, Algebra in addition to the normal stuff. Each book had been double wrapped in plastic bags, in case water got into the suitcases. Other suitcases had boks too, this one probably had more than others. the TSA person undid the packaging of each book, examined as if it were something dangerous, shook her head and repackaged it.

DO books send a false alarm or was it a case of poor training of the operator?

Given what the general level of literacy in the U.S. has become, she probably just was puzzled because she didn't recognize what they were.

I've heard that books and chocolate are dense enough when stacked to require an extra look.

The problem is that x-ray can't tell the difference between a pile of books and a chunk of explosives.

The density of various items can trigger a search. I used to get it all the time when flying with big pieces of glass for my camera; the flourite glass, according to several TSOs, was tough to either determine what it was or what was around it and necessitated the hand check.

Oddly enough, that never happens any more. I tend to think that the x-ray operators are very distracted these days, trying to catch everyone's lip balm and water, and miss a lot of things they don't give attention to.

::smirk::

I was coming back from London a few years ago and got pulled aside. The problem? I had gone crazy in the UK bookstores - 47 books worth. They told me that the books show up as on x-rays as very dense and the shape combined with the density makes them suspect.

This may explain why I had a book on chocolate confiscated recently.

Me and Mrs Abbott were once carrying a large crystal vase in our carry on and the TSA wanted to see inside of it. They said the x-ray machine could not see through the glass.

It is not unusual for a stack of books, magazines or newspapers of various paperstock and ink compositions to render the image screening ineffective.

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...ck#post2375860

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...ck#post6831327

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...ck#post5989042

[QUOTE=Yaatri;8172819]the TSA person undid the packaging of each book, examined as if it were something dangerous, shook her head and repackaged it. [QUOTE]

I am sure they were checking the titles of your books. Were you carrying a copy of "The Junior Jihadist Handbook of Homemade Explosives that Violate at Least Two Laws of Physics in Their Manufacture"? Write us from Gitmo. Or from Cuba after you use a bottle of water and a dash of lime juice to create a high explosive and escape.

Lead crystal!!

Next up on the TSA parade: "Please place all your Waterford and Baccarat in a separate gray bin."

I've had trouble taking along interesting reading material that gives the x-rays fits, too. Seems like once the paper gets to about 3" thick it becomes a real problem.

Crystal-/glassware-related screening varies -- not surprisingly -- based on who is doing the screening. Those screeners (at locations) that encounter lots of glassware/crystalware seem to flag it down less often than other screeners (locations).