HEAVIER METAL ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANTS MAY SET OFF AIRPORT SECURITY DEVICES

A recent study published in Foot & Ankle International studied various types of metal implants to determine their affect on airport metal detectors.

In the study, published in the December 2006 issue of the journal, test subjects without implants walked through a security gate after which they were screened by a metal-detecting wand. Subjects then repeated the process with metal implants placed within raw steak attached to their bodies.

While the security gates did not detect the implants, the detection wands were triggered by several of the implants.

The two contributing factors triggering detection of the implants were the mass or weight of the metal as well as the type of metal. All implants weighing more than 12 grams were detected by the detection wands.

Titanium implants were more easily detectible than stainless steel implants, showing up at a weight of only 4 grams, according to one of the researchers.