Tuesday, May 8, 2012

TSA tries to kill insulin dependent diabetic teen

TSA forced an insulin dependent diabetic teen to go through a body scanner with an in insulin pump. The x-rays killed the pump. TSA then forced the teen to undergo an invasive pat-down. Her crime? She had fruit juice to control blood-sugar levels. Can we start the profiling now?
Savannah said she approached a TSA agent with a letter from her physician in hand. That letter explained her special medical needs while traveling by air. She said she pointed out her insulin pump and the TSA agent directed her to the full body scan.

"I was like, 'Are you sure that I can go through with this insulin pump? It’s not going to hurt the pump at all?' And she was like, ‘No, no, you’re fine.’ So I went through with my pump. Some part of me knew that it wasn’t OK, but when someone in a position of authority is telling you it is, you think that it’s right,” said Barry...

As soon as she finished with her security screening, Savannah said she felt something was wrong.
She called her mother, who called the maker of the insulin pump, Animas."They said she’s got to take that pump off as soon as she lands. And my heart just sank, because I know how expensive they are. I knew how upset she would be, and I knew that I had to be the one, when I got to DIA, to tell her," said Sandra....
Animas said "its insulin pump cannot go through x-ray as it can damage the software and affect the insulin delivery. The newest technology in airport security, Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), commonly referred to as full body scanner technology ... is also a form of x-ray. The insulin pump should not be exposed to this form of scanning."

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