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#11
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flying, film and X-rays OT - Bob
"Lester Higgins" wrote in message ink.net... Bob- Interesting input older x-ray machines, specifically the user's ability to "adjust" them. Can you be more specific? I've worked on a number of early 80's vintage PerkinElmer x-ray machines in airports, but have never seen one that was adjustable "on-the-fly". Over the years there have been security x-rays by Perkin-Elmer, Pickering, and others (even General Electric long ago), and the features were not the same on all these gizmos. Some had a rheostat for adjusting voltage to the x-ray tube, which allowed the operator to increase the energy of the x-rays, and that is the characteristic that determines how well the x-rays penetrate. Unfortunately, when the powered-up x-rays were penetrating the bag more effectively, they were also penetrating thru the shielding around the machine, too. The traveling public wasn't really affected - none were present around the machines long enough to get a meaningful exposure. But the guards who were there 40 hours a week got higher doses than planned. There was another effect. Ramping up the voltage (and those tubes run in the 70,000 to 100,000 volt range) also ramped up the heat generated and thus the wear and tear on the tube. Turning it up too fast also strained the tube and tended to shorten its life expectancy. The adjustable machines weren't used everywhere - there was no effort in those days to standardize the hardware or the detection capability. And your experience is probably more typical of what was available in the more significant airports. The adjustable machines I saw were only in backwater-types - Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Rapid City, South Dakota are the two I remember specifically. And I suppose you can say they are "pulsed", in that items are x-rayed in "slices" and the images are assembled by video boards ( or nowadays, the computer inside ), and the image moves across the monitor to coincide with the movement of the belt. The gate security machines used by the TSA now are powered by a capacitive discharge-type tube that is truly a pulsed device. The flash duration is in the same neighborhood as an average electronic flash. The operator can take images in rapid succession, but there isn't a true continuous display of a moving image. The slices you talk of are the CT scan technology used for checked luggage. The narrowly focused x-rays pass thru the bag in slices that generate planar images that are assembled in a computer to approximate a three-dimensional image of the contents without opening the bag. Pretty cool way to do business, IMHO. I have to deal with these devices routinely because I run a radiation dosimetry program. The dosimeters are used to measure work-related dose from radiation like x-rays, among others. I have people who take dosimeters with them when they travel, and I'm constantly reminding them to take them in their carry-on because the exposure of the dosimeter is unmeasurably small, while the CT scan of checked luggage blows them away (not in the sense of damaging the dosimeter but delivering a dose so large that the dosimeter becomes useless for determining that person's occupational dose). Probably more than anyone want to know (TMI). Bob in Las Vegas |
#12
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flying, film and X-rays
Out of the cans, in a clear ziplock bag, presented with a good attitude.
Lisa Craig wrote: Hello...I know this topic has been hashed before (I've been going over the old Google archives), but it seems that the opinions are all over the map. I'm going to be making a trip from Cincinnati to Manila via Taipei and Los Angeles and will be bringing a fair amount of film (35mm, 25 rolls with ASA range from 64 to 400 all of it slide film and about 50 rolls of APS print film with an ASA range of 100 to 800). I would prefer to have the film hand inspected, given the number of security machines I will encounter round trip. What would be the best way to present the film in order to make the TSA more likely to agree to hand inspection. Is it okay to leave the film in the sealed cardboard boxes? (I would rather travel with it that way, but it would be a mess to have to open every package in security). I also plan on putting the film into clear ziploc bags. Should I then put the ziploc bag into a lead pouch (for use after leaving the U.S) and hand them the entire package, or simply hand them the clear ziploc? What I'm looking for is a consenus...what have others found to be the most likely way to get hand inspection of film while making it as painless as possible. Craig |
#13
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flying, film and X-rays
Lisa Horton wrote:
Out of the cans, in a clear ziplock bag, presented with a good attitude. Lisa You're right Lisa. A good attitude goes a long way. I forgot to mention that . Bob |
#14
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flying, film and X-rays
"Shawn "Me" Hearn" wrote in message ... In article , "Craig" wrote: Hello...I know this topic has been hashed before (I've been going over the old Google archives), but it seems that the opinions are all over the map. Leave the film at home (or don't even buy it) and travel with a digital camera. I have to agree, Digital is the way to go. No matter how careful you are, you won't know anything until the film is developed. Then it's too late. |
#15
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flying, film and X-rays
I agree with Lisa. Attitude goes a long, long way.
Francis A. Miniter Lisa Horton wrote: Out of the cans, in a clear ziplock bag, presented with a good attitude. Lisa Craig wrote: Hello...I know this topic has been hashed before (I've been going over the old Google archives), but it seems that the opinions are all over the map. I'm going to be making a trip from Cincinnati to Manila via Taipei and Los Angeles and will be bringing a fair amount of film (35mm, 25 rolls with ASA range from 64 to 400 all of it slide film and about 50 rolls of APS print film with an ASA range of 100 to 800). I would prefer to have the film hand inspected, given the number of security machines I will encounter round trip. What would be the best way to present the film in order to make the TSA more likely to agree to hand inspection. Is it okay to leave the film in the sealed cardboard boxes? (I would rather travel with it that way, but it would be a mess to have to open every package in security). I also plan on putting the film into clear ziploc bags. Should I then put the ziploc bag into a lead pouch (for use after leaving the U.S) and hand them the entire package, or simply hand them the clear ziploc? What I'm looking for is a consenus...what have others found to be the most likely way to get hand inspection of film while making it as painless as possible. Craig |
#16
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flying, film and X-rays
"Craig" wrote in message ...
What would be the best way to present the film in order to make the TSA more likely to agree to hand inspection. ... leave the film in the sealed cardboard boxes? ... clear ziploc bags ... lead pouch why not check with the experts. can you spell google? I knew you could!!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- from: http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?co...0005198006eedf Other Tips and Precautions: If you plan to request a hand inspection of your film, you should consider carrying your film in clear canisters, or taking the film out of solid colored canisters and putting it into clear plastic bags, to expedite the screening process. If you are going to be traveling through multiple X-ray examinations with the same rolls of undeveloped film, you may want to request a hand-inspection of your film. However, non-U.S. airports may not honor this request. If you plan to hand-carry undeveloped film on an airplane at an international airport, contact the airport security office at that airport to request a manual inspection. Consider having your exposed film processed locally before passing through airport security on your return trip. We recommend that you do not place your film in lead-lined bags since the lead bag will have to be hand-inspected. If you have concerns about the impact of the X-ray machine on your undeveloped film, you can request a hand inspection. You may still consider bringing a lead-lined bag if you are traveling through airports in other countries as their policies may vary. Check with your airline or travel agent for more information on foreign airports. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ from: http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/su...l/xray4P.shtml HAND-CARRIED BAGGAGE Carry-on baggage inspection conveyors using low intensity x-rays, used at security checkpoints in US airports, usually do not affect film. However, these machines may now be supplemented in some cases by high intensity machines that will fog all unprocessed film. Travelers should be wary of all scanners at foreign airports. Travelers should politely insist on hand-inspection of their film. Carry a changing bag for use by the inspector. Demonstrate how it is used, with a can of fogged film as an example. However, there is no guarantee that your request will be granted by local inspectors, who may insist on x-ray inspection. Hand inspection may not be permitted in some airports outside the US. 2. US MAIL STERILIZATION The United States Postal Service is installing new equipment to sterilize items sent through the mail. For security reasons, they are not disclosing whether this process will be limited to letters, or if parcels and other packages will also be included. Until further tests are conducted, it would be wise to assume that the high energy beams used in the sterilization equipment will fog or damage all film - processed or unprocessed, exposed or unexposed, negative or print. In addition, photographic prints, slides, DVDs, picture CDs, CD-ROMs, video tapes and even the CCD sensors in video cameras and other products may be affected. Because those materials often contain valuable - and sometimes, irreplaceable, images - Kodak recommends that you err on the side of caution until more information is available. |
#17
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flying, film and X-rays
"Francis A. Miniter" wrote: I agree with Lisa. Attitude goes a long, long way. I might go so far as to say that attitude is THE KEY. These people are not rocket scientists, proper handling can go a LONG way towards accomplishing your goal, to put it in a discreet way Lisa |
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