Fogging mystery

[hadeer]

Hi,
I would appreciate some advice on the following: yesterday I developed three 120 mm films. All three are fogged with a peculiar wave formed pattern from the first to the last frame, see the attachment to this post. I use Adox Adonal 1:50 as developer, 20°C, 18 minutes, 30 sec. agitation. Film is Kodak 100 and 400 Prof TMax. Two different tanks from Paterson were used, 1 film was exposed in a 4.5x6 medium format Bronica, the other two in a 6x6 mf Bronica. Conclusion: this film was fogged before it went into the camera. But how?? Expiration dates lie in 2016 for all three films. Can it be that this happened in a bagage scanner? It is possible that these films traveled with me to Hong Kong / Laos, but I am not absolutely sure anymore.
Your help and ideas would be appreciated greatly.

 

[Ian Grant]

Could be it was scanned in your checked in baggage. There's no other explanation if different tasks and cameras were used.

Ian

 

[hadeer]

That is indeed the only explanation I can think of. But how do these scanners make such a peculiar pattern? I supposed they would fog the film evenly. I can also rule out a manufacturing flaw as films of different speeds and dates were used.
Hans

 

[Ian Grant]

No imagine a focused beam like a laser, they are scanning localised areas.

There's a good chance it's been scanned with deep X-rays in Europe after somethings been spotted, that they think may be suspicious. Often all luggage gets passed through normal carry on type scanners after you land particularly from known drug smuggling areas it' quite routine.

Ian

 

[hadeer]

I got a private message that directed me to the following Kodak site : https://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/tib/tib5201.shtml#SEC47
That made it clear that this damage was caused by a strong security scanner on some airport. Thanks all for clearing this up. Now I have to test every box left.....
Hans

 

[jeffreyg]

I always remove the film (120) from the boxes and put it in a Ziploc bag and request it to be hand checked. Most of the time the TSA will oblige but also take it to the "sniffer" machine as well. Most European airports have also but just to be on the safe side I place rubber bands around each six rolls and place them in my carry-on camera bag so they are in a vertical position hoping that the flange of the spools will offer some protection. So far I've never had any noticeable fogging. Either my system helps or I've just been lucky.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[Bob Carnie]

I just saw this exact pattern on a client film... holy mackeral

 

[Ian Grant]

I always remove the film (120) from the boxes and put it in a Ziploc bag and request it to be hand checked. Most of the time the TSA will oblige but also take it to the "sniffer" machine as well. Most European airports have also but just to be on the safe side I place rubber bands around each six rolls and place them in my carry-on camera bag so they are in a vertical position hoping that the flange of the spools will offer some protection. So far I've never had any noticeable fogging. Either my system helps or I've just been lucky.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

You don't get hand inspections in many airports, highly unusual in Europe, film has to go through the carry on scanners but they are 100% film safe in Europe for a high number of mutliple scans, far more than I've encountered which is mid 20's when travelling and many flights.

Checked in baggage scanning is different as they can't ask you to open a case so they can check, hence the deeper X-ray scans if there!s anything suspicious.

Ian

 

[jeffreyg]

I had film hand checked in several Italian airports (including one agent who remarked that I had high speed 400ISO), in Spain, Germany, France (but not Paris) and a few weeks ago in Iceland as well as Kennedy and all other US airports I went through over the past several years. I only carry on my film and cameras. If pressed for time I let it go through the carry on scanner and have no problems as others have mentioned.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[Sirius Glass]

Could be it was scanned in your checked in baggage. There's no other explanation if different tasks and cameras were used.

Ian

That is indeed the only explanation I can think of. But how do these scanners make such a peculiar pattern? I supposed they would fog the film evenly. I can also rule out a manufacturing flaw as films of different speeds and dates were used.
Hans

I got a private message that directed me to the following Kodak site : https://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/tib/tib5201.shtml#SEC47
That made it clear that this damage was caused by a strong security scanner on some airport. Thanks all for clearing this up. Now I have to test every box left.....
Hans

Baggage scanner

 

[summicron1]

Every airport I have been in says never, ever, put film in baggage - those scanners will fry it, as this obviously was.

I've always hand carried it in, never a problem.

 

[MartinP]

Most European airports have also but just to be on the safe side I place rubber bands around each six rolls and place them in my carry-on camera bag so they are in a vertical position hoping that the flange of the spools will offer some protection.

Beware of pressure marks where the elastic band squeezes the film rolls!

There is no requirement for European airports to hand check normal film, but the carry-on scanners are all supposedly (and in my experience, in fact) safe for normal film. I have not carried Delta3200 through an airport. More worrying are any scanners at tourist attractions, hotels and so on as their age and maintenance is less clear than the machines in airports.

On the OP's roll, the wavy line comes from a scanning beam which passed through his roll of film while it was at a slight angle. If the film was rolled up again, loosely to allow for the backing paper now being absent, it would be possible to see how the 'wavy' pattern lines are actually 'straight'. There was either a massively mal-adjusted carry-on scanner involved (unlikely, perhaps even impossible), the film went through a baggage scanner instead or a very old carry-on scanner design was being used somewhere other than an airport.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Beware of pressure marks where the elastic band squeezes the film rolls!

A tight rubber band can screw up an entire roll of film.

 

[nworth]

It could be x-rays, but the pattern bothers me - along one edge, with the peaks consistently aligning with the middle of the frame. I would also check your camera, perhaps just by shooting another roll. I suppose also that something may not have been closed up properly.

 

[Sirius Glass]

It is x-rays. Shooting another roll which has not traveled on an airplane will just waste another roll of film. Then again a real testinesta will test 10,000 rolls of film to be sure within plus or minus 0.01 per cent.

 

[jeffreyg]

I never place tight rubber bands. The size I use just fits six rolls keeping the film upright in the bag. I don't know if that actually helps but one of these days I will waste a roll and test it with a strong exposure using my dental x-ray unit.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/