Townhall’s Katie Pavlich just stumbled upon a major TSA security issue at Reagan National airport in D.C.
According to Katie, TSA agents are reusing the swabs used to detect explosives on passengers:
A TSA agent just swabbed my hands for explosives…with the same swab she used on the person in front of me…when I questioned why she was using a swab that was just used on a different person, she said if I wanted a clean one to ask ahead of time ?
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 17, 2018
And they’re reusing them a lot of times:
She then said the swab is used repeatedly and unlimited times until someone tests positive for explosives.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 17, 2018
Forget the health issue, which the TSA agent seems concerned about. What does reusing the swabs do regarding their effectiveness to actually detect explosives?!
So, this is the protocol. Seems like a bad idea that could lead to being falsely accused should the detection machine malfunction. https://t.co/brkVvc3tqZ
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 17, 2018
Narrator voice: “It’s not protocol”:
Guess what? You'll be shocked that that is not @TSA policy: "The swabs are disposed of after each use and will not be used on more than one person."https://t.co/f1wJzme10s pic.twitter.com/nL1hSSjEL0
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) April 17, 2018
Recommended
Over to you, TSA:
Well look at that. I watched her use it on the woman in front of me, insert it for testing, pulled it out, let her go. Then she used the same swab, which was still hot from the machine, on me and claimed it was protocol when I objected to a dirty swab. This was at Reagan National https://t.co/yGUJiNMfrb
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 17, 2018
* * *
Update:
The TSA has responded:
@DukeMaximum @KatiePavlich Thank you for reaching out. Explosives trace detection screening doesn't require a new swab, unless it alarms for explosives residue. Please note that older TSA blogs are kept for public record and may not reflect current procedures.
— AskTSA (@AskTSA) April 17, 2018
***
Editor’s note: We’ve corrected a typo.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member