Dublin Airport: Woman forced to remove artificial breast in public after it set off new security scanner

A woman was told to remove her artificial breast in public while going through security scanners at Dublin Airport. Realtán Ní Leannáin was travelling to Donegal in Ireland when she was forced to remove her breast prosthesis.

The woman had undergone a mastectomy and told BBC NI’s Evening Extra programme that she was left “like a rabbit caught in the headlights” when her artificial breast set off the new scanner technology. She said: “The security officer didn’t even offer to pat me down. She stood and waited for me to remove the prosthesis.

“I couldn’t actually think. Every time I attempted to rationalise it, I couldn’t.”

She added that when she had travelled through other airports such as Amsterdam and Glasgow, she had been briefly searched and had been able to explain her situation when a triangle and a warning light appeared once the scanner detected the prosthesis. However, in Dublin she was informed the security officer needed to see her prosthesis.

Ms Ní Leannáin was unaware at the time that she was able to request a private screening. After emailing the DAA, the operator of Dublin airport, she was informed that they “couldn’t give that answer” when she asked for assurances that the incident would not occur again.

The woman is now asking for airport protocols to be clearly outlined for those in a similar position with information available on airline websites. She added that private screenings should be immediately available rather than travellers having to ask for it.

In response, a DAA spokesperson said that an investigation into the incident found that the “situation should have been handled better”. The spokesperson said: “We are very sorry that our passenger had a negative experience when travelling through Dublin Airport recently.

“All passengers in such situations can request a private screening, which is then facilitated by a trained member of staff. Regrettably, this did not happen on the day in question. We offer a full apology to the passenger and can assure her that steps have been taken to ensure a similar situation is avoided in the future.”