Why swab hands at airport

Previously, screeners swabbed some carry-on luggage and other objects as they searched for the needle in the security haystack -- components of terrorist bombs in an endless stream of luggage.

But after the Christmas Day attempted bombing of Northwest Flight over Detroit, Michigan, the TSA began a program of swabbing passengers' hands, which could be contaminated by explosive materials, experts say. The TSA will greatly expand the swabbing in the coming weeks, the agency said. One way we keep it safe is by new technology [and] random use of different types of technology. Security experts consulted by CNN said swabbing hands is a good move, and privacy advocates said they support the new swabbing protocols, provided the agency tests only for security-related objects and does not discriminate when it selects people to be tested.

It's a "very good idea," said security expert Tony Fainberg. TSA screeners currently swab luggage handles and parts of bags that are likely be contaminated by human hands, he said, and swabbing a person's hands increases the chances of finding explosive materials. Under the new protocols, tests will be conducted at various locations -- including in checkpoint lines, during the screening process and at gates.

Newer, more portable machines make it easier to conduct tests away from fixed locations such as the checkpoint. The American Civil Liberties Union has "always supported explosive detection as a good form of security that doesn't really invade privacy ," said Jay Stanley, an attorney and privacy expert with the organization.

Hurry up and wait. Remove your shoes and belt. Strike a pose in the body-scanning security portal. Put your palms forward, please. Wait, what? TSA officers swab your hands with a cotton cloth to collect explosives residue for testing in an Ion-Mobility Spectrometer IMS , the machine they put the cloth in that determines if you go to your gate or to a private security screening.

Maybe a TSA behavior-detection officer deemed your behavior suspicious. Or, maybe a TSA agent simply had to fill his daily quota of random checks and chose you. The list is longer, but the TSA insists that its selection of passengers for swabbing is random. Or maybe you got the dreaded SSSS on your boarding pass.

Either way, the TSA workers pull you aside and say you have to go through a secondary screening. However, your hands have a higher chance of an issue, since they can potentially handle things that have, for example, glycerine or nitrates, since there are lots of typical, everyday items that have those chemicals in them. Want to comment on this post? Read this first to help ensure it gets approved. Like this post?