Airport security check to include swabbing hands

On top of existing concerns regarding shoes, liquids, sharp objects, computers and other electronic devices, the would-be underwear bomber on a Christmas Day flight bound for Detroit spurred the increased use of Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) machines to find chemical residue.

The process was tested in January at five airports in the Southeast and will be rolled out nationwide. A spokesperson said the practice will begin very soon at Dayton International Airport. The TSA’s refusal to confirm the start date for using ETD machines at the Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus airports was due to “security purposes.”

TSA officials will randomly select passengers, swab their palms and test the disposable screening swab.

“The swabbing of hands takes literally a couple of seconds. It takes the machine a couple of seconds to conduct its analysis to determine whether there are any traces of explosives present,” TSA spokesman Jon Allen said. “It’s something that could be occurring at the (security) checkpoint. It could occur in the queue leading up to the checkpoint or it could occur at a gate area.”

The fixed and portable ETD machines employ the same technology used to swab luggage and carry-on bags. In a 17-day test last month, Allen said the procedure did not delay passenger flow.

“They’re not going to be grabbing hands at random,” he said. “Officers would say, ‘You’ve been selected for random screening’ or something like that.”

If a passenger’s swab tests positive, they would be subjected to more screening to determine if an actual threat is present.

“We find it to be an effective technology,” Allen said. “We believe that increasing the random usage of it on hands will help provide yet another layer for security.”

The swabbing of palms and testing the swab with portable machines may take a few moments, but it represents a major investment in added security measures.

Allen estimated that 7,000 ETD machines already are in use.

To date, the Department of Homeland Security has awarded $15 million for 400 more stationary ETD units for the TSA.

President Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget calls for $39 million more for 800 portable machines. Roughly estimated, each fixed unit costs about $37,500 and every portable unit costs $48,750.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-6951 or mgokavi @DaytonDailyNews.com.