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TSA agents likely are having direct contact with a much more diverse crowd than the average person, with maybe exceptions for folks in super urban areas, regularly using NYC's subway, etc.

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Also they infrequently change their gloves, as if the gloves' only purpose is protecting the TSA agents from the things they're touching.

Going through SFO on Sunday, the TSA agent working the controls behind the X-ray screen sneezed into his hands. A colleague looked up at him, and then he sheepishly ceded his seat to the other agent and put on new gloves. As I was packing up my things on the other side of the metal detector, I saw him chatting with a more managerial looking TSA agent. Not sure what conclusion to draw from the brief observations, but it did leave an impression.

Super nitpick: SFO doesn't employ TSA agents. Those were CAS contractors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_Aviation_Security

Thanks! Never knew that this role was sometimes contracted out.

Wow, I never knew such thing existed. Do you have any idea what makes an airport use CAS over TSA?

I'm sure someone can answer better than I, but SFO picked CAS before TSA was mandatory.

I dimly remember that it's up to each individual airport.

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