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TSA allows medical scissors on planes
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Posted on Aug 31 2005
The Transportation Security Administration has lifted the ban on carrying a certain type of medical scissors on flights, as part of its efforts to rethink passenger screening.
The federal agency is now allowing ostomy scissors with pointed tips with an overall length of four inches or less when they accompanied by an ostomate supply kit containing related supplies, such as collection pouches, wafers, positioning plates, tubing, or adhesives.
According to TSA, an estimated 750,000 individuals who have undergone ostomy surgery carry the kits in the United States.
“While specific data on the number of ostomates who use air transportation is not available, TSA has heard from individuals with ostomies who say they avoid air travel in part because they cannot carry these particular scissors,” the agency said.
“Allowing this limited exception to TSA’s prohibition on metal pointed scissors removes a barrier to ostomates traveling by air without negatively impacting aviation security,” it added.
TSA is currently reviewing a number of screening procedures implemented after the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. The proposed changes reportedly include lifting the ban on some prohibited items and limiting pat down searches. Several categories of passengers, including ranking government and military officials and federal judges will possibly be exempted from screenings.
TSA said it wants to focus its limited resources on greater security threats.
Prohibited items such as weapons, explosives, and incendiaries remain on TSA’s list. These include box cutters, knives, ice picks, razor-type blades, swords, baseball bats, spear guns, oversized umbrellas, bullet replicas, and empty bullet shell case.
Other items not allowed in carry-on or checked bags include fireworks, flares, fuels/lighter fluids, gas torches/turbo lighters, strike-anywhere matches, paints, tear gas, spillable batteries, and gas cartridges.
