Flash! TSA bans bread!

["Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah" <rmslade () shaw ca>]

Following the explosions in two BC sawmills, which experts are speculating may 
have been caused by fine sawdust caused by excessively dry wood, the TSA has 
banned any particulate materials, such as sawdust, flour, and icing sugar, to be 
banned from all flights.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/04/25/bob-mcdonald-science-
sawmill-fires.html

Also included in the ban are any objects made from particulate materials, such as 
particleboard, bread, and icing sugar dusted donuts.  (The union representing TSA 
workers had argued, unsuccessfully, against this last item.)  The TSA's Director Of 
Really Dangerous Stuff also noted that materials with larger particle sizes, such as 
table salt and sand, were also being included in the ban.

At press time, we were still awaiting word on whether computer equipment was to 
be included in the ban, since silicon chips are commonly said to be made of sand.

(Yeah, yeah, I know, don't give the TSA ideas ...)

(Dust explosions used to be common, and still happen, in coal mines, sawmills, and 
granaries.  The idea that beetle-killed wood might be at fault is interesting, since 
sawing dry wood creates smaller particles and more of them, and the existing 
safety measures may no longer be sufficient.  One report quoted a witness to the 
recent fire who couldn't believe that dust could create such an explosion.  I 
understand that, absent nuclear weapons, the most powerful explosives in the 
military arsenal are fuel-air explosives [FAE], which are essentially the same 
thing.)

======================  (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer)
rslade () vcn bc ca     slade () victoria tc ca     rslade () computercrime org
  Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out,
  but he can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake.
victoria.tc.ca/techrev/rms.htm http://www.infosecbc.org/links
http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/author/p1/
http://twitter.com/rslade
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