Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Airports Crack Down on Powder

New anti-explosive measures complement limits on liquids

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 18, 2009 1:06 PM CDT

(Newser) – Air travelers have yet another thing to worry about when packing their bags: powder. Federal authorities haven’t banned or even restricted baby powder, makeup, talcum powder, and the like, but the TSA is outfitting airports around the country with new kits to test such seemingly innocuous material for explosives. If security screeners spot a powder in an X-ray, they’ll likely pop open the bag, take a sample, and test it.

The TSA says the tests should be fast, and most passengers won’t be subjected to them. “There is no specific threat,” said a spokesman, but powders have been used in IEDs overseas. Passengers weren’t pleased. “There are so many nuances and inconsistencies that travelers are totally confused,” said the head of one travel company. “Is it going to affect my deodorant?” asked one flier. “I’m not giving up my deodorant.”

In this March 30, 2009 photo, airline passengers line up at the TSA security check at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Baby powder will be verboten from now on at airport security. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Rand Paul's TSA Scuffle Now Raking in Cash for Dad

Ron Paul urges supporters to contribute to 'End the TSA Money Bomb'

(NEWSER) - Rand Paul's "detainment" by the TSA couldn't have been timed better: Dad Ron is now using Monday's incident to raise funds for his presidential campaign, the Daily Caller reports. The elder Paul emailed supporters asking them to contribute to his "End the TSA Money Bomb," so that he can work to dissolve the "theatrical sham that is the TSA." More»

Rand Paul Refuses TSA Patdown, Gets Detained

Ron Paul's son being detained 'indefinitely,' says spokesperson

(NEWSER) - Apparently the Pauls are willing to go quite far to maintain their libertarian principles: Rand Paul, son of presidential candidate Ron Paul, was detained by the TSA at Nashville International Airport this morning when he refused to submit to a patdown, WSMV reports. A Paul spokesperson confirms that the Kentucky senator "was being detained indefinitely. The image scan went off, he refused patdown." A tweet from his father cites an "anomaly" with the body scanner, Politico notes. More»

TSA: We Were Right to Take That Cupcake

...because it was a cupcake in a jar

(NEWSER) - Cupcakegate 2011 is proving to have quite the shelf life. The TSA commented on the sugary brouhaha this week, by way of a blog post on the topic. If you'll recall, security agents in Las Vegas confiscated a cupcake that Rebecca Hains was trying to take through security late last month because of its gel-like frosting. Outrage ensued. But as the TSA explains, there's one problem with the whole story: Hains wasn't carrying a traditional cupcake through security. More»

People Left $409K in Coins at Airport Checkpoints

And the TSA is keeping it

(NEWSER) - Your weird stat of the day, courtesy of the Hill : Passengers left behind $409,085.56 in spare change while going through airport security checkpoints last year. The biggest haul by far came at JFK, where about $47,000 was collected, followed by Los Angeles International ($19,000), Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson ($16,500), San Francisco ($16,000), and Miami International ($15,800). The TSA gets to keep the loot, though Florida Rep. Jeff Miller wants to make the agency give it to United Service Organizations in the future. More»

Flier Tasered at Calif. Airport

Edwin Barton loses it after having to go through screening twice

(NEWSER) - Here's a new one in the ongoing battles between airline passengers and security. Now a flier has been been zapped with a Taser—three times—for becoming "unruly" during a security screening in California. New Hampshire flier Edwin Barton, 26, walked into the Sacramento Airport off his Southwest plane when he suddenly remembered he had left something behind. Not so fast, he was told. He had to go through security screening again before he could retrieve his belongings—and he lost it, say cops. He became argumentative with TSA agents, grabbed his carry-on off the conveyor belt and struggled with deputies, who went electric on him, reports the Sacramento Bee . More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Airports Crack Down on Powder

New anti-explosive measures complement limits on liquids

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

airport security • TSA • liquids • powder • Transportation Security Administration

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Rand Paul's TSA Scuffle Now Raking in Cash for Dad

Ron Paul urges supporters to contribute to 'End the TSA Money Bomb'

Rand Paul Refuses TSA Patdown, Gets Detained

Ron Paul's son being detained 'indefinitely,' says spokesperson

TSA: We Were Right to Take That Cupcake

...because it was a cupcake in a jar

People Left $409K in Coins at Airport Checkpoints

And the TSA is keeping it

Flier Tasered at Calif. Airport

Edwin Barton loses it after having to go through screening twice

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Airports Crack Down on Powder

New anti-explosive measures complement limits on liquids

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

airport security • TSA • liquids • powder • Transportation Security Administration

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Rand Paul's TSA Scuffle Now Raking in Cash for Dad

Ron Paul urges supporters to contribute to 'End the TSA Money Bomb'

Rand Paul Refuses TSA Patdown, Gets Detained

Ron Paul's son being detained 'indefinitely,' says spokesperson

TSA: We Were Right to Take That Cupcake

...because it was a cupcake in a jar

People Left $409K in Coins at Airport Checkpoints

And the TSA is keeping it

Flier Tasered at Calif. Airport

Edwin Barton loses it after having to go through screening twice

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?