I am SO happy to see this getting some press. The truth is that YES, insulin pumps are not just affected by the full-body scanners, but they can in fact malfunction in dangerous ways (i.e., start bolusing out insulin without being asked to - not good when you're at 35,000 feet). I have heard this from multiple PWDs who have experienced malfunctions after going through the scanners, ranging from mild to severe.
I travel a lot for work, and recently I asked one of the TSA agents if they had heard about insulin pumps being damaged by the scanners, and he said no, he hadn't heard that. Then he proceeded to tell me that it was 100% safe to go through the scanner with your pump ... which I wasn't going to argue with at that point (especially since I was travelling alone, without my husband with type 1).
Now, we are about to take off for a 3-week trip to Spain and Italy in a few weeks, and this video was just another good reminder to make sure that we take some information with us to ensure that if we run into TSA agents at airport security who are not aware of the problem with the scanners and Tony's insulin pump (which I am guessing there are many), that we have documentation to back us up. We will ALWAYS request a pat-down from this point on, to ensure that nothing interferes with the pump's ability to do it's job.
Even after 17 years of living with my husband's type 1, I am amazed at the lack of knowledge and understanding that people have around diabetes. Even people who should know! Like TSA agents for pete's sake!
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