A Bay Area listener says she always giggles when she sees a sign in the Oakland airport that reads, “You are leaving a sterile area.” Among security experts, the term sterile specifically means an area that is officially under control and clear of threats. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “What is “Sterile” in “Sterile Area”?”
Remember our conversation a few weeks ago about the term clean in terms of clean food and clean sandwiches?
Those are trendy words that you hear more and more in advertising about food.
That prompted an email from Helen Hutchison, who lives in Northern California.
She said, your discussion of clean food reminded me of a sign in the Oakland airport and probably in others also.
As you’re exiting the security area, going into baggage claim or other open areas in the airport, there’s a sign that says you are leaving a sterile area.
Since I consider airports to be one of the least sterile areas that I frequent, I always get a giggle from this sign.
Clearly sterile has a new meaning within the realm of airport security.
And it does.
Security in general, yeah.
Well, I don’t know about it in general, does it?
Yeah, sterile is an area that’s completely controlled.
It’s security in one end to the other.
I didn’t know that.
A sterile environment is not about disease in this case.
It’s about security measures are fully enforced.
Oh, no kidding.
I didn’t realize that.
Like maybe you’re leaving an area that has got a lot of surveillance,
Has guards at all the exits and entrances, and so forth.
Okay.
You know, when you hear the phrase, you’re leaving a sterile area,
It’s almost like I’m so hot that the area is now sterile.
It reminds me of in the Milwaukee airport, there’s a sign that says Recombobulation Area,
Which is a place where you put yourself together after you’ve gone through security.
Put your shoes back on, your belt back on.
Everything in your pockets.
Yeah, back in your pockets.
Recombobulation Area.
Airport language.
Love discussing that kind of thing.
