Xrays assoc with sending film?

If one purchase film from mailorder companies is Xrays something to

worry about? What happens if I am buying off a international

country, the xrays should be more rigorous right? The people who

post their film to Development are they at risk too? If one chooses

to employ lead xray bags its more than likely they would open it up

and pass it via their own xray right?

Thanks.

Ray, you can get a lively discussion on these questions at this board, but if you want actual answers I suggest a different approach.

For your question about film purchased by mail order, go to www.adorama.com and ask their customer service. They ship about 26 zillion rolls of film per year and if x-ray scans were damaging the film (in shipments TO them from manufacturers, or FROM them to customers)they would know about it and, given their enormous financial stake in safe transit of film, they would find a way around it. You could also ask at B&H Photo or Calumet or any of the other very large volume shippers.

For your question on people who post their film, ask at www.aandi.com and see if the people at the A&I lab think their business is jeopardized by use of regular mail.

If you're not in the USA, those might be the wrong people to ask. But then again, if you're not in the USA you probably don't find x-ray scanning of garden-variety mail to be a significant worry.

Now for my 2 cents' worth (maybe overpriced at that): The x-ray process is not free and it takes time. The postal service does not like to waste time, person-hours or dollars so it is not scanning every package that comes into any of its distribution centers! Mail to high-priority "targets" like government offices may well by scanned. Perhaps the postal service even scans ALL mail to and from certain selected ZIP codes? And if there were random scans for mail being loaded aboard aircraft, I wouldn't be at all surprised.

Does that mean film often is being zapped and noticeably affected? Hmmmm. If there were ever a group of people who would notice, and howl in fury, that the mail is often unsafe for film, this would be that group. I haven't heard the howls of fury here, have you?

Be well,

<<you can get a lively discussion on these questions at this board>>

... sound of crickets chirping...

or maybe not. Sorry. Did you put the right number of quarters in the slot when you posted the message?

Be well,