Storage and Care of KODAK Photographic Materials

[Colin O]

Just FYI...

 

Kodak Alaris have updated their "Storage and Care of KODAK Photographic Materials" bulletin.

See: https://imaging.kodakalaris.com/sites/uat/files/wysiwyg/pro/CIS_E30.pdf

 

On airport X-rays (the bit that people always seem to be interested in), they say...

"Protect film from x-rays. X-rays can fog unprocessed film. When you travel by commercial airline, your checked luggage is commonly subjected to x-ray examination by a CT (Computed Tomography) scanner. Many airport security departments are now investing in additional CT scanners for carry-on bags, with a goal of eventually having the machines at every security checkpoint. To avoid any danger of fogging unprocessed film, always hand-carry your film - including loaded cameras - and always request a visual inspection at the airport security check point.

Note:

• Processed film is not affected by x-rays.

• The traditional door frame walk-through and hand-held metal detectors used to check passengers are not x-ray devices and do not affect film.

• Millimeter wave body scanners use radio waves, and produce no ionizing radiation."

 

However, in my experience, airport security staff never agree to a request for a hand inspection, and all my cameras and film go through the carry-on baggage X-ray machine. Having said that, I've never suffered any adverse effects, even with multiple passes.

[Sandy Vongries]

TSA is required to hand inspect film on request within the U.S.A. Recent articles highlight new powerful equipment for scanning carry on which can damage film on a single pass. A quick search using this is tsa required to inspect film by hand? will get quite a bit of info.

[JDMvW]

However, in my experience, airport security staff never agree to a request for a hand inspection

 

My experience too, before I changed to digital

 

I've never suffered any adverse effects, even with multiple passes.

Not my experience, although I will admit the fogging was not great; but it was there when the film was examined.

[steve_gallimore1]

Throw a couple of rolls of Delta 3200 in your film bag, never had a request for hand inspection refused (Heathrow, Stansted, CDG) once they understood I had 'high speed film'.

 

As far as I know, their machines are only 'safe' up to around ISO 1600 and they are aware of this.

 

This was 15 years ago, mind.

 

Never actually shot that particular roll, just kept it in my bag for airport inspection...

[Sandy Vongries]

Link Beware: New 3D Airport Scanners Will Wipe Unprocessed Camera Film

[Colin O]

Good suggestion Steve. I'm going to try it.

I'm generally not too wary of these X-ray machines for a few passes. But I tend to bring too much film with me on my trips, so the rolls end up going on quite a few more flights than necessary. I might add a roll of 3200, just to see what the security people say.

 

However, I've also heard that the natural levels of cosmic radiation at flying altitudes are worse for film than the X-ray security scanners.

[glen_h]

I commonly develop my film in Diafine at higher EI than stated on the box.

 

If any TSA person ever asks, I plan to tell them that.

So far, I don't remember any asking. (TSA signs all say ISO 800.)

 

If the film isn't factory sealed, such as an open cardboard box, they will swab it

and use the mass spectrometer test on it, including opening the (not sealed)

plastic cans. Once I had one with the cardboard box in such bad shape that

it didn't qualify as factory sealed.

 

Sometimes I have very expired film, and one TSA person did comment on that.

(Probably older than he was.). I think that was also the one with the torn box.

 

I also have the usual lead bags, and have used those. I do remember one that

wanted to send the bag with film though the X-ray by itself, which it did, and

passed the test. I partly use the bags to keep track of film, instead of it

floating all through my luggage.

[glen_h]

I just looked up the rules for Mexico and find:

 

"Film materials are admitted as long as they are inspected by the X-ray machine,

explosive-detection equipment or manually, depending on manufacturer specifications."

 

As above, I find the US TSA commonly tests with the explosive detection system,

swabbing the outside of sealed boxes, or contents of unsealed boxes.

 

I am not sure how they determine the manufacturers specifications.

(Besides the high ISO films, many instant films also state no X-ray, as I believe

they are also more sensitive.)

[rodeo_joe1]

Isn't this old news?

Years ago, much the same advice was issued when film use was far more widespread, and supposedly 'X-ray safe' special film bags could be bought.

 

However, I'm not sure what the X-ray machine operator's reaction would be to an impenetrable opaque area in your baggage.

[ben_hutcherson]

However, I'm not sure what the X-ray machine operator's reaction would be to an impenetrable opaque area in your baggage.

 

One old caution I've heard with regard to lead bags is that if the operator can't see through, they'll just crank up the X-ray power until they can and ultimately end up exposing the film to more X-ray than if had been scanned.

 

In any case, I rarely fly anyway, and when I do these days I put aside my desire to use film on the trip and only do digital. The last time I flew with film was in ~2005(LEX->CVG->JFK->CDG and then NCE->JFK->CVG->LEX home) and I had mostly 400 speed color negative. I asked at LEX and was denied a hand check for my film since it was "only 400 speed" but weirdly enough they were happy to hand check and swab my camera. Sometimes, though, I've found security in small airports can be a lot pickier/more difficult to deal with than larger airports. I'm not sure how applicable 15 year old information is, though, and I've not flown out of Lexington(LEX) since then-I generally leave either from SDF(Louisville), CVG(Cincinnatti), or even STL(St Louis).

 

If were taking a domestic trip and wanted to shoot film, in all honesty I'd probably be inclined to have B&H ship it directly to my destination ahead of me and then either mail it to my lab or to myself(depending on if it was B&W or color) when I left. That avoids any potential issues with airport X-rays.

[glen_h]

 

(snip)

 

If were taking a domestic trip and wanted to shoot film, in all honesty I'd probably be inclined to have B&H ship it directly to my destination ahead of me and then either mail it to my lab or to myself(depending on if it was B&W or color) when I left. That avoids any potential issues with airport X-rays.

 

I am not sure what the USPS rule is now about X-ray, but I think they can do it.

 

After the anthrax scare some years ago, in DC, they were X-raying packages in DC post offices.

[Colin O]

A press release from Fujifilm on the same subject:

Traveling with your undeveloped film and instax film in U.S. airports