X-Rays

[P3D Paul S. Boyer <boyer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"When I travelled  several months ago, they told me that only the ASA
1000 was a problem.  the other ones supposedly not noticeable
affected
because the xray machines now aren't as powerful as they use to be."

At the risk of sounding a bit paranoid, I make it a practice of not
to believe uncritically what "they" tell me!  Look: how is an x-ray
picture taken?  With film, right?  How were x-rays discovered in the
first place?

If x-rays will affect 1000-ASA film, then they will affect slower
film also, just not as quickly.  Remember that the affect is
cumulative.

Also remember that the people doing security at airports are among
the most ignorant in the workforce.  Some have looked at my camera
(even at a regular SLR) as if they were examining artifacts from a
UFO site.  They obviously knew nothing about camera operation or
construction.

It is true that the new x-ray machines are more senitive than the old
ones.  It is also true that the operator can turn up the intensity
when a strange, relatively opaque object comes onto the screen, and
they do.  So much for those little lead bags!  So much for the film
inside your camera!

Sometimes the security will hand-inspect.  I have heard that they are
*required* to do this on request.  However, not all of them know
this, and some wouldn't know how to inspect a camera, anyway.

In Europe they are *not* required to hand-inspect, and often will not
do so.  We actually have it better here.  But film which is
light-sensitive is (as far as I know) always sensitive to x-rays.  I
don't think that you could design a film that would not be sensitive
to x-rays.

--Paul S. Boyer   <boyer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


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