I Tested Positive for Explosives at the Airport Because of My Pills

Our flight was at 12:30 p.m. on January 8, 2024. It was a humid day and there was no air conditioning at the airport, so it was very warm indeed.

We were on our way back from Funchal, Madeira after spending seven days there. The lead-up to Christmas had been stressful, so we were looking to relax and do nothing. We lazed by the pool and read, enjoying our holiday as much as we could.

At the airport, we put our hand luggage in the trays, ready to go through security. My husband went before me without any problem.

I then went through the body scanner, to which the alarm went off. At the time, I thought that this wasn't unusual, it was probably my bra wire!

An airport security woman then approached me and gestured for me to stand on two printed feet on the floor. I did so. She then took out a wand, placed a metallic fabric strip upon it, and swiped my palms, the back of my hands, and around my waist.

She then removed the piece of fabric from the wand and placed it into a machine. It gave off a warning sound. I was alarmed and thought it must be a mistake. She took another piece of fabric and placed it in the machine and no alarm went off.

The airport security woman then put this piece of fabric on the wand and repeated the swiping of my hands and waist.

I didn't know what to think, but I was feeling uneasy and scared. There was a queue of people who were waiting to come through security but were being held back because of me, so everyone was just staring at me.

Again, the airport security lady placed the fabric in the machine and the alarm went off.

I was facing the machine and it said that I had tested positive for explosives. I was shocked and confused.

My husband was trying to find out what was happening, but nobody was communicating. I began to panic. I asked security what was happening, but she also didn't say much at all.

Two policemen then turned up and led me away, but because I was cooperating, one disappeared on our way to a room for questioning. Everyone was staring at me, and I was shaking with fear.

At first, they said my husband couldn't come, but he insisted that he wanted to accompany me, and they relented.

I was taken to a small, locked room where I was questioned by an officer. The room was just big enough for a desk and two chairs.

He asked me what I'd been doing that morning. I told him that my husband and I went for breakfast at the hotel and then went back to our room to finish packing. We then went down to the foyer to wait to be collected by the taxi that my husband had booked.

We traveled straight to the airport, checked our suitcase in, and went to security. I was shaking at this point and my mouth was very dry so it was hard to speak. He could see I was struggling so his manner became calmer with me.

He filled in a form with all my personal information, including my deceased parents' names. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I felt that I was going to be arrested for something, which is incomprehensible when you know you haven't done anything wrong.

The policeman radioed another official to check out my passport with Interpol, but they found nothing suspicious. He also had a notebook in his pocket that he flicked through to see if my name appeared as a person of interest.

Once all the questions had been exhausted, he looked at me.

"Are you on any heart medication?"

I replied that I was. He proceeded to say that there are very tiny amounts of ingredients in heart pills that are also used to make explosives.

My heart pills were in my handbag, which I had with me. He took a look at them and gave them back to me.

The body scanner and the swabs detected the explosive particles on me, which is why the police took me away for questioning, as they thought I could be trying to smuggle explosives onto the plane.

I was never warned by my cardiologist that there are traces of an explosive ingredient in the pills and that you sweat them out through the pores of your skin.

I was very annoyed and upset that I wasn't asked if I was on heart medication at the beginning, to save putting me through that ordeal. I felt humiliated and let down by the staff at the airport, they wouldn't treat a dog like that.

After an hour of questioning, he then told me that I should carry a plastic card to inform airport staff that I was taking Bisoprolol and Flecainide.

We were led back to security, where we had to go through the body scanner again, and our hand luggage went through the X-ray once more.

The body scanner didn't go off this time, albeit it was a different one. I then saw the police then talk to another woman in security.

A woman approached me and ushered me to stand still and without warning, she gave me a full and thorough frisk body search. I was completely humiliated and at that point, felt that I was treated like a criminal even though I explained I was on heart medication.

I broke down and was inconsolable for quite a while. My husband was very angry.

This experience left me very upset. I couldn't believe I was treated like a criminal, and that something like that could happen. Other heart patients on medication need to be aware of what could happen to them too.

Even though other people have laughed about this story when my husband and I have told them, I saw the shock on their faces.

It's something I think about every day and I feel quite bitter about it. It should have never happened. I was not warned by my consultant or doctor that this could happen to me while traveling, and it's certainly put me off wanting to fly again.

Marie Harland lives with her husband in the U.K. On her way back from Madeira, she was shocked to find that she was tested for explosives due to an ingredient, nitroglycerin, found in her heart medication.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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