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Old 02-16-2018, 01:18 PM
 
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Whenever I go through the full body scanner, I ALWAYS get pulled to the side and get a hand scanner on my left thigh. It's happened every time, 12+. It's always that spot that they are concerned with. I've never had surgery, no screws, plates, etc. Any idea what makes my thigh cause this? I ask the guards sometimes but they don't know nor do they tell me what's pinging my leg.
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Old 02-16-2018, 01:21 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,364 posts, read 86,262,097 times
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Something in your left pocket? Does the hand scanner beep when they check that area?
Some of the millimeter-wave scanners cause false alarms triggered by folds in clothing, buttons and even sweat...

Correction added: about 50% of the millimeter- scanners show false positive.
From medical standpoint you don't have to be worried about your hip area...

Last edited by elnina; 02-16-2018 at 02:31 PM..
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Old 02-16-2018, 01:54 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina View Post
Something in your left pocket? Does the hand scanner beep when they check that area?
No, nothing in pockets. It's always the front part of my thigh. Nowhere else. It can't be my clothes bc I don't always wear jeans.
The hand scanner has beeped sometimes, then they pay my leg down and let me go. I've never been taken into another room.
I was just wondering if people could have weird levels of metal or something like that inside of them in one spot.
Maybe I should find a TSA ama on Reddit. I'm genuinely curious.
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Old 02-16-2018, 02:18 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,364 posts, read 86,262,097 times
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I googled your question and there are many threads about false positive on millimeter machine. X-rays are more accurate.
Do you remember what type of scanner it was?

Millimeter-wave machines, look like round glass booths and emit low-powered electromagnetic waves similar to those found in police radar guns.

X-ray machines, also known as backscatters, look like two large blue boxes and emit extremely low levels of ionizing radiation.
X-ray machines are banned in EU.

https://www.propublica.org/article/s...tential-weapon

Last edited by elnina; 02-16-2018 at 02:26 PM..
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Old 02-16-2018, 02:43 PM
 
3,532 posts, read 2,996,298 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina View Post
I googled your question and there are many threads about false positive on millimeter machine. X-rays are more accurate.
Do you remember what type of scanner it was?

Millimeter-wave machines, look like round glass booths and emit low-powered electromagnetic waves similar to those found in police radar guns.

X-ray machines, also known as backscatters, look like two large blue boxes and emit extremely low levels of ionizing radiation.
X-ray machines are banned in EU.

https://www.propublica.org/article/s...tential-weapon
It's the machine pictured in the article you linked. Hmmm, I never knew that. Strange it's always pinging on my leg.
Thanks for the info.
Eta now I looked at the xray scanner and I'm not sure, they look alike. I'll try to google what the airports I usually use have
Never mind, it's the one in the picture. Lol
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Old 02-16-2018, 03:14 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,364 posts, read 86,262,097 times
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Yeah. Highly unreliable like everything else the Airport Security implemented...
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Old 02-16-2018, 05:12 PM
 
16,367 posts, read 12,359,274 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hellob View Post
Whenever I go through the full body scanner, I ALWAYS get pulled to the side and get a hand scanner on my left thigh. It's happened every time, 12+. It's always that spot that they are concerned with. I've never had surgery, no screws, plates, etc. Any idea what makes my thigh cause this? I ask the guards sometimes but they don't know nor do they tell me what's pinging my leg.
Same thing always happened to me (Pre-PreCheck). Every time I stepped out of the scanner, I'd say "back of my left knee ... it happens every time and I have no idea why." They'd look at the screen, and sure enough! They'd pat me down and send me on my way. None of them could ever explain why it happens. Part of me wonders if it's because I have fat knees. LOL

The mystery continues.
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Old 02-16-2018, 05:19 PM
 
16,367 posts, read 12,359,274 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina View Post
I googled your question and there are many threads about false positive on millimeter machine. X-rays are more accurate.
Do you remember what type of scanner it was?

Millimeter-wave machines, look like round glass booths and emit low-powered electromagnetic waves similar to those found in police radar guns.

X-ray machines, also known as backscatters, look like two large blue boxes and emit extremely low levels of ionizing radiation.
X-ray machines are banned in EU.

https://www.propublica.org/article/s...tential-weapon
The particular ones shown in the picture at the top of the article aren't used anymore. TSA doesn't use the scanner with the "realistic" body views on the screen anymore. Now they show a generic body outline.
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Old 02-16-2018, 08:04 PM
 
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Are you sure you don't have any metal embedded in your thigh? The hand scanner for metal beeps too.

May be something happened when you was young and didn't remember.
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Old 02-16-2018, 08:13 PM
 
16,367 posts, read 12,359,274 times
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I can't speak for the OP, but I know I don't have any metal in my knee. Metal detector wands never pick anything up in that spot.

What's interesting is not only is it a false positive, it's a false positive in the same spot every time. So there has to be something causing it, but no one seems to know what it is.
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