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Airport security holds boy with type 1 diabetes because of insulin pump

DCUK NewsBot

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A family has spoken of their horror after they were held by airport security in Dubai for two hours because of their son's insulin pump. Rachel Humphrey, whose 14-year-old son George (both pictured) has type 1 diabetes, said they were not allowed to board their connection flight from Dubai International Airport to London Heathrow after returning from the Maldives. At the security gate, staff requested George's insulin pump to be disconnected and put through the X-ray machine. But hospitals and insulin pump manufacturers advise that insulin pumps are not exposed to electromagnetic radiation because it may interfere with the device's motors. Mrs Humphrey, from Waterlooville in Hampshire, showed the official documentation and explained removal of the pump and subjecting it to the X-ray machine could cause medical consequences. Staff refused to accept her explanation and escorted the family to the airport police room where they were held for two hours. Mrs Humphrey said she felt the staff were "highly discriminative" and were "incredibly rude". She added: "[They] showed no compassion or willingness to understand, help or support us." The issue was resolved after a doctor at the airport medical centre confirmed it was unsafe to detach the pump. Mrs Humphrey said the stress and upset had caused her son's blood glucose levels to rise and he was very distressed. Staff then allowed the family to continue to travel with the insulin pump attached but the spare pump was confiscated and held by Emirates airline staff until they arrived at Heathrow. Since arriving back in the UK, Mrs Humphrey has complained to the airport and Chris Garton, the executive vice president of operations at Dubai Airport. Garton responded, saying: "You will be pleased to learn that I met with the head of Dubai Police security operations and airport Medical Services yesterday to understand why our procedures were not followed on your return journey. "It was agreed all would reinforce the established procedures with staff. The well-being and safety of our passengers is of paramount importance and we greatly appreciate you bringing this issue to our attention." Mrs Humphrey has started a petition calling for a standard policy on insulin pumps in all airports. Over 2,300 people have signed the document and Mrs Humphrey said: "The comments received from other insulin pump users reveal indisputable evidence that confusion regarding insulin pumps at airport security is prevalent and a global issue, which not only causes stress for the diabetic but can also quickly become a life-threatening emergency."

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UPDATE

We understand that the requirements for airport security are set by national Governments but I have spoken with the Head of Aviation Health Unit at CAA Safety & Airspace Regulation Group who is forwarding our campaign to the CAA Aviation Security Department with the view to them discussing the issue with their colleagues in the Department for Transport as well as liaising with UK Airports.

Whilst we are trying to achieve a level of international standardisation, we understand that this is challenging when the security policies are set at a national level.

Therefore, I have also contacted ACI who serve 592 members operating 1,853 airports in 173 countries. Although ACI are unable to set policies for their member airports, we are hoping that they will raise the issue and encourage members to discuss this with the national security agencies.

In other news, our petition continues to grow and has now received over 2700 signatures. However, it is the comments received from fellow Type 1 Diabetics that reveal indisputable evidence that confusion regarding insulin pumps at airport security is prevalent and a global issue.

The National Diabetes Insulin Pump Audit Report says that “An average of 12% of all children and adults in the UK with Type 1 Diabetes are using an insulin pump. In 2013 the statistic was just 7% so the number of users is rapidly increasing. In the USA, use of insulin pumps is even more widespread, with 40% of people with Type 1 having one.

So this dangerous airport security issue will only increase and needs addressing NOW.

I am committed to this campaign and will continue until we have positive results and if you thought our experience was a one-off or you are lucky enough not to have had problems at security (yet), please read these commentshttp://ufofreight.com/uploads/comments_1465897881.pdf

Please sign and share our petition: https://www.change.org/p/airport-authorities-standard-policy-for-insulin-pumps-at-airport-security
 
What in the name of sanity did they think the risk from the pump was? Surely they weren't fools enough to believe that a little boy needing an instrument to help manage a serious medical condition could possibly be some sort of blatant suicide bomber!

Robbity
 
I was stopped in Germany with a Continuous Glucose Monitor sensor. After going through the security, the guards asked me what was under my shirt. I showed the sensor and explained what it does, and pretty soon most of the guards were around to see what it was. Quite a different experience, but it does show the difference between understanding and "following the rules"
 
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