Why Does TSA Swab Your Hands in the Airport?

Have you ever had your hands swabbed by TSA in airport security and then wondered what was going on?

Strange TSA (Transportation Security Administration) practices are commonplace when going through the strict airport security processes in U.S. airports since most people aren't familiar with the reasoning behind the checks.

It usually goes like this: You rush to check in and get through security with enough time to grab a drink and a snack before your flight boards.

The line is long and slow-moving. When you finally approach the conveyor belt where you place your items into the small square tubs, your anxiety spikes.

The TSA agents sometimes make you take your shoes off, sometimes make you put your backpack in a bin, sometimes make you take your hoodie off –– inconsistencies that have resulted in many a meme.

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Most of the time, you step through the metal detector, shove your feet back into your shoes and take off, but on occasion, people are pulled aside for further, more invasive checks.

Sometimes people get a full-body pat-down, while others get their hands swabbed, leaving them questioning things after they finally make it to their gate.

You can easily guess that the pat-down is to make sure a person isn't hiding anything suspicious on them.

So, why does TSA swab your hands in the airport? What could you possibly have on your bare skin that's offensive and not totally obvious?

The answer is actually pretty simple: they're checking for explosive residue.

Since the TSA was created in the aftermath of 9/11, it makes sense that this would be a factor in their process.

Most of the time, travelers are "randomly" selected for further screening, including swabbing hands.

The practice first began in 2010, according to an article from CNN, which explained that "after the Christmas Day attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 over Detroit, Michigan, the TSA began a program of swabbing passengers' hands."

"One way we keep [air travel] safe is by new technology [and] random use of different types of technology," Homeland Security Secretary at the time Janet Napolitano told the outlet.