Random palm swabbing to start at KCI

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Screeners at Kansas City International Airport have begun using random palm swabbing on travelers as an extra security measure.this week.

The swabbing is another effort to determine if travelers have been near explosives.

The swabs have been used in the past on luggage, and on passengers who set off an alarm or acted suspiciously. But screeners at KCI and other airports in the country are being told to be more aggressive after a passenger attempted to to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day.

The Kansas City Star reports that some experts are concerned the palm swabbing could flag soldiers, people who use certain fertilizers, or perhaps passengers with heart problems who use nitroglycerin.