Security hygiene
 

Not trying to be nit-picky or obstructive, but I have decided to opt out of the full body scan. I have no problem with the idea of being "seen" onscreen, but I have read that the risk of radiation exposure is not fully disclosed, and that the older you are the less safe it can be. As a person who has had a full share of x-rays and other similar tests over the course of my life, I am choosing not to add more.

Anyway, I will submit to a pat-down instead. What I am concerned about is that the security people do not change their gloves between pat-downs, and ewww, that is funky. Lice, scabies, etc, not to mention unsanitary crotch areas or incontinence. Ugh.

Someone suggested bringing one's own disposable surgical gloves to give to the TSA security person. Anyone heard of this?

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You do know there are two types of scanners. The backscatter units do emit xray radiation (look like two big boxes and one stands between them). And the other are the millemeter wave devices (look like fish bowls) which emit no radiation and are safe.

The screeners are required to change gloves between patdowns. If they "forget" ask. If they refuse, request a supervisor.

I wouldn't waste money on bringing gloves and if I were a screener would not touch them.

You need to insist that the screener change gloves. There is a risk (to you) if they do not do so, as you observe.

There is also a risk from the scanners, although it hasn't been accurately quantified yet. The x ray scanners use only a small amount of radiation, but it's ionizing radiation and it is concentrated in the skin. It's possible that this might encourage the development of skin cancer, but we won't know for sure for many years. The millimeter-wave radiation isn't ionizing (it's a cross between microwaves and infrared radiation), but both x rays and millimeter-wave radiation can be hazardous to the eyes, causing damage to the cornea and cataracts. The long-term risk to the eyes from either type of scanner has not been quantified yet. Best to keep your eyes closed during a scan, as this will block much of the radiation (of either type).

Anthony, I've never seen anything about eye risk. Can you provide a citation please?

Why do you think they won't change gloves between people? I'm pretty sure that's part of the procedure, right?

"security people do not change their gloves between pat-downs" - neither they change the plane seats fabric. They won't touch your body during pat-downs, only your clothes.

I think you can sooner get lice from sitting inside a plane than from a hand that touches your clothes.

Good point Dayenu.

scdreamer~ If the pat down is really a problem for you in this regard, what about the seat in the boarding area, your seat on the plane, airport bathrooms, airplane bathrooms, any public bathroom, your bed in a hotel, etc. etc.???

suze, that's possibly true ... but at least I have the option of not sitting directly on or touching anything that looks funky. I don't particularly want a screener touching someone's crotch area or underarm that might be contaminated and then rubbing their hands on me. If you're brave enough (or maybe insane enough?) --- google "airport security gloves change" and you'll get a lot of info. And apparently they DON'T always change gloves, and often even if they do, they keep the "new" gloves in the same pocket with the used ones ... some of the possibilities that MDs have mentioned include herpes, staph, strep, and more.

Your worries just don't add up to me. And I'm not sure what you can do about them anyway. Things don't necessarily look "funky". You can't see much of what you are afraid of.

Honestly if I did have all your particular concerns, you could just go with the body scan instead. The way you're making it sound with the pat down, it sounds the safer of the two options!

Haha suze, - you're probably right! I know I am freaking about about all of this, and in the not too recent past would have laughed at anyone who was making this a big deal, or at least suggested that maybe travel wasn't in the cards.

Unfortunately, I have had some medical issues that have required more radiation than I am comfortable with, and I am just trying to figure out the best way to deal with the new scanners. Seems as if no one is actually sure exactly how much radiation exposure there is, and what the effects might be.

I will be flying eight time within the next six months, and I think I will just make a point of asking the security people to change into clean gloves if I am to have a pat down. I need to move on ...

I was just kidding around. Because I think the chances of you contracting herpes, scabies, lice, etc. from an airport hand-body search is... well... pretty darn unlikely.

scdreamer, read my response above. The MMW scanners emit no harmful radiation (the backscatters do).

Thanks, NoFly Zone ... right now I'm not sure which is which on the scanners, nor what will be available at any given airport. And, regardless, if what you say is true about the possible damage to the cornea, how can I be sure there isn't other "damage" down the road, and they either don't know about it or they aren't talking. Seems to me that a pat-down with clean gloves, as unpleasant and invasive as it may be, is likely the safer option for now.

I'm sure every experience is different, but I got 'specially picked' for a hand search of my person and carryon bag the last time I flew (this past July, leaving Jamaica). I had to go into a private room with a nice Jamaican lady officer. There was nothing "unpleasant" or "invasive" about it.

I've never said anything about cornea damage and, in fact, have never read anything about that.

sorry, nofly ... I read the entry above by Anthony and inadvertently attributed it to you.

Millimeter wave scanner, made by L3- - like a "bubble"
http://imgs.sfgate.com/blogs/images/...ve-Scanner.jpg

Backscatter scanner, made by Rapiscan - - like standing between 2 "boxes"
http://icnt.mx/wp-content/uploads/20...er-Scanner.jpg

You're concerned about a TSA agent passing on some vermin or disease to you if they don't change gloves, but you're happy to sit in an airplane seat that hasn't been cleaned since 1957 and has seen tens of thousands of other butts - lice, funk, and all?

Do you place a vinyl seat cover over the airplane seat before you sit in it?

If not, your concern doesn't compute with me.