When Water Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Water

Current security measures for most travellers are usually just an annoying inconvenience.

But the Los Angeles Times has found that a class of people with medical conditions are facing life-threatening issues because of the ban on liquids.

Tens of thousands of patients with oral cancer and Sjogren's Syndrome (an autoimmune disorder that shuts down tear ducts and salivary glands), must sip water continuously all day to avoid severe pain and infectious complications from their disease.

"A lot of our patients are nervous about flying," said Steven Taylor, chief executive of the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation, based in Bethesda, MD.

One Sjogren's patient, who asked not to be identified, said that to make sure a bottle of eyedrops wouldn't be confiscated, she tucked it into her bra before a recent flight, according to the Times.

Last August, after a terror bombing plot was discovered in London, the TSA acted to ban all liquids and gels from coming on the plane with passengers. This was a reaction to the discovery that the prospective bombers intended to mix liquid chemicals in the air to create their bomb.

Since then, as ANN has reported, the TSA has relented somewhat to allow up to five ounces of liquid nutritional supplements or prescribed medication to be carried, but only at the individual TSA screener's discretion.

Oral cancer survivor Brian Hill said that he got his doctor to write him a prescription for water but that it only seemed to make airport security screeners more suspicious, said the Times.

For now, many patients have simply given up on air travel and plan to travel by car where there are plenty of cupholders at hand.

FMI: www.tsa.gov