# Do people with a lot of jewelry and piercings set off metal detectors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-with-a-lot-of-jewelry-and-piercings-set-off-metal-detectors/1022606 "2025-08-30T17:13:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-with-a-lot-of-jewelry-and-piercings-set-off-metal-detectors/1022606/41 "2025-11-02T21:22:36Z")
My husband had a titanium hip replacement in July and we took our first flight last weekend. I’m not sure why (maybe staffing?), but the TSA agents made anyone who didn’t have metal joints or a pacemaker go through the regular scanner - only people with metal in their bodies could go through the one where you hold your arms over your head. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-with-a-lot-of-jewelry-and-piercings-set-off-metal-detectors/1022606/42 "2025-11-04T22:33:46Z")
Standard metal detectors have a wide variation of sensitivity. They can be manually set more or less sensitive. I’m sure that TSA has a standard setting, but I know agents that have said, if they are bored they will make the detector more sensitive, to give themselves more to do…or conversely, if it’s really busy, they set them to be less sensitive to speed up the screening process. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-with-a-lot-of-jewelry-and-piercings-set-off-metal-detectors/1022606/43 "2025-11-04T22:36:24Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > [Abby Zwerner](https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/30/us/abby-zwerner-lawsuit-trial-what-to-know) still has a bullet in her from when she was shot in her school by a 6yo student Bullets are primarily made of lead and lead is unlikely to set off an airport metal detector. Lead has low conductivity and weak magnetism compared to common metals like iron. While it can be detected by some specialized equipment, it may slip past standard airport systems, which are more sensitive to ferrous metals. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-with-a-lot-of-jewelry-and-piercings-set-off-metal-detectors/1022606/44 "2025-11-04T23:02:36Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Mrs. Martian’s knee replacements (titanium and plastic) always set off metal detectors. At the airport she doesn’t even try, just heads right to the alternate Bullwinkle scanner. Incidentally, if by “Bullwinkle scanner”, you’re thinking of something like this [Leidos Pro:Vision CI people scanner](https://www.leidos.com/markets/aviation/security-detection/aviation-checkpoint/people-screening), I’m starting to see something like the second one, a [Rohde & Schwarz QPS201 Security Scanner](https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/products/aerospace-defense-security/security-scanner/qps201-security-scanner_63493-332676.html). So you’re no longer holding your arms up like Bullwinkle or like you’re being arrested, but instead have your arms down but away from your body. The new scanner is more open than the old one and might be more easier for claustrophobes. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Provision_xray.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Provision_xray.jpg) [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/NRW-Verkehrsminister_Hendrik_W%C3%BCst_-_Vorstellung_Easy_Security-6294.jpg/1280px-NRW-Verkehrsminister_Hendrik_W%C3%BCst_-_Vorstellung_Easy_Security-6294.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/NRW-Verkehrsminister_Hendrik_W%C3%BCst_-_Vorstellung_Easy_Security-6294.jpg/1280px-NRW-Verkehrsminister_Hendrik_W%C3%BCst_-_Vorstellung_Easy_Security-6294.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-with-a-lot-of-jewelry-and-piercings-set-off-metal-detectors/1022606/45 "2025-11-05T01:15:31Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > So you’re no longer holding your arms up like Bullwinkle or like you’re being arrested, but instead have your arms down but away from your body. Neato! The last time I traveled by air I had broken my shoulder a few weeks earlier but had to go across the country due to a death in the family. I couldn’t raise my right arm much higher than the silhouette in the new machine shows. I figure they must have plenty of people in similar situations because nobody gave me grief about it–I did have a sling with me as well, though that proves nothing. And I learned how clueless people can be: I sat in an aisle seat and every single person who passed by me ran into my broken shoulder, even though I clearly had my arm in a sling. I wanted to have some strong words with them, but what could I do with a full planeload of people laser-focused on getting to the overhead bins? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-with-a-lot-of-jewelry-and-piercings-set-off-metal-detectors/1022606.md?page=2)