No Subject

["Rolland Elliott" <rolland_elliott@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Essentially the two types of xray scanning are as follows:
>1. Hand luggage - repeated scans will not affect infrared film
>2. Hold luggage - high powered scan which will affect infrared film. >If 
>you
>are lucky then just a little fog, if you are unlucky then banding will
>appear on the film.  The power of the scan is variable and sometimes
>automated.
>Mail is subjected to the hold luggage xray scanning NOT the hand >luggage 
>scan.

If this was truly the case then a large percentage of film orders shipped 
from the major film dealers and mail order stores in the USA via express or 
2 day delivery would be fogged.  I've mailed many an order from the East 
Coast to the West Coast of the USA via Fed Ex & USA Priority Mail and have 
had no problems with X-rays.  I've also mailed many packages overseas with 
no problems and with no special precautions.

>A large number of airports throughout the world now have the newer high
>power scanning machines installed to combat terrorism, smuggling, and >the
>transport of illegal items.

The location of these new high powered xray machines is kept secret for 
security reasons. Saying that there is a large number of them is pure 
speculation in my opinion. Even if you got this information from the highest 
ranking airport security official I would not believe it.  Security people 
will always tell you things to make their security systems tougher than they 
actually are.  If there was only 20 of these new high power xray machines in 
the USA they would probly tell you there were hundreds. That's what I would 
do if I was a security agent. Telling the truth IS NOT in there best 
interest.

>The air carriers contracted by the USPS >use
>scanners on all their cargo including mail.

Empiracle evidence shows that they don't. (or if they do it is of the low 
dosage kind that is harmless to film) There are literally hundreds of mail 
order film processing centers located throughut the USA. If high intensity 
Xray machines were used there would be thousands of upset customers and many 
postings about this on the net.  I've yet to see a single person post 
anything saying there film was damaged while in transit due to xrays. While 
it is true that many orders could arrive via truck or other ground 
transportation due to the large size of the USA a large percentage of mail 
is sent via air.


>I assume from your last post that you send the film
>without taking these precautions?
>It would be interesting to test film sent
>without taking precautions against film sent taking the precautions
>suggested by the USPS. A more scientific hands on test than armchair
>theorising ;-)

I'm NOT theorising.  All my knowledge is based on actual shipment of film,  
not contacting security agents who overinflate their security measures and 
try to intimidate people.

>By the way - have your contact details changed from those you gave me >for
>the Infrared FAQ articles?

NOPE. I just have  a few different email addresses

Peace Rolland





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