Vic: Hand cream/aftershave triggers explosive detector

AAP General News (Australia)
12-30-2003
Vic: Hand cream/aftershave triggers explosive detector

By Karen Hart

MELBOURNE, Dec 30 AAP - The federal government today defended an anti-terrorist security
device after airline passengers wearing hand cream and aftershave tested positive to explosives
at Melbourne Airport.

Qantas and the federal government today confirmed the Explosive Trace Detection System
(ETDS), which is aimed at stopping explosives being carried onto planes, had sparked a
small number of false alarms since it was put in place in October.

One of those false alarms occurred that month when New Zealand Prime Minister Helen
Clark was randomly selected for scanning at Sydney Airport and was frisked in what Tourism
Minister Joe Hockey described as an embarrassing error.

A spokesman for Federal Transport Minister John Anderson said today the government
was very happy with the system despite the "extremely" small number of false readings.

"We are still in the introduction phase of this system," he said.

"But we are very, very happy with it and the response from the public has been very good.

"Things have changed since September 11 and people take aviation security very seriously
and the government is committed to keeping the skies safe."

The spokesman said he could not say how many passengers had been affected.

Qantas said it was working with the manufacturer of the device to help reduce the number
of false positives.

"Qantas, like other screening point operators in Australia, uses explosive trace detection
equipment as required by the federal government," an airline spokeswoman said.

"Like metal detectors, ETDS is designed to alert the relevant authorities to the possibility
that someone may be carrying a prohibited item.

"In the case of ETDS, particles contained in substances such as hand cream, fertiliser,
aftershave and dry cleaning fluid resemble the concentration and composition of those
contained in certain types of explosives."

Passengers are selected at random for testing after they pass through the x-ray security check.

A held held device is then used to swab a passenger's open palms, clothing, shoes and luggage.

Results take less than a minute to process, the Qantas spokeswoman said.

AAP kh/cbs/de

KEYWORD: QANTAS LEAD

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