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New (as of 2019) airport CT scanners

Andrew O'Neill said:
That's very clever, removing 120 film from it's box and foil, and containers/caps for the 35mm...then clear bag them, otherwise, they open up everything, which takes a hell of a lot of time! Alan, where'd you get the stickers from?
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I just searched for them and they are at Kodak's, both Alaris and Eastman. Have attached the PDF of one of the provided (6 on A4) in case the link goes offline, which I did actually somehow struggle with around Christmas when looking for them again.

Transporting & Storing Film

A leading global manufacturer focused on commercial print and advanced materials & chemicals. We believe in the power of technology and science to enhance…
www.kodak.com
 

Attachments

  • H-512-Do-Not-X-ray-6-Up-Shipping-Labels-A4.pdf
    630.1 KB · Views: 49

Thank you!
 
Andrew O'Neill said:
That's very clever, removing 120 film from it's box and foil, and containers/caps for the 35mm...then clear bag them, otherwise, they open up everything, which takes a hell of a lot of time! Alan, where'd you get the stickers from?
Click to expand...

Took me a while to figure out that I'm the "Alan" to whom you were refering .

The PDF posted above is the same I used. Print it on the appropriate Avery label page (I think it's the 6 labels per sheet one).

 
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loccdor said:
Great! Hah, I remember flying in the 90s, what a different world.
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My first trip to Europe in 1996: there was a smoking section (and I was a smoker at the time), alcoholic drinks were free and there was no damn checkpoint — it was just a metal detector.
 
fdonadio said:
alcoholic drinks were free
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Beer and wine are usually still free on flights between the US and Europe, although some of them serve so little water that it's best to avoid it unless you want to end up with a dehydration headache. And don't get me started on how I got E.Coli/Salmonella from the meal on my last trip... that was a fun couple of days.
 

Now, if we could find an ambitious soul to alter the graphics from 'X-ray' to 'CT or X-ray' and post a link to the result!
 
wiltw said:
Now, if we could find an ambitious soul to alter the graphics from 'X-ray' to 'CT or X-ray' and post a link to the result!
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OK, I got ambitious and made this JPG which says "Do not X-ray or CT", which is being shared to anyone with this link. It was converted from PDF original (per earlier link) to JPG, then edited and resaved. While the original PDF was designed for Avery labels, I test printed on Office Depot 5395 name badge and they seem to work just fine. This uses 8 labels per page. I can email directly to anyone sending private message to me, in lieu of Google Drive shared file.



[edit]Click the Pop Out button in the upper right of the illustration to go to the Google Drive
 
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wiltw said:
Now, if we could find an ambitious soul to alter the graphics from 'X-ray' to 'CT or X-ray' and post a link to the result!
Click to expand...

The latest H-512 label already says that.

 

Attachments

  • H-512-Do-Not-X-ray-6-Up-Shipping-Labels-A4.pdf
    630.1 KB · Views: 41

Yeah, sometimes we get some free perks, but it was much better in the 90’s. And looking back, the tickets are not so cheaper these days. But then I’m drifting away from the topic, anyway.
 

Thx for the info. The link text provided to me is described by Google is 'accessible to anyone who has the link', I think the problem is the way Photrio software parses the link when it is included in a message, and interprets it to show an image rather than leaving it alone as text (I actually tried several ways to get around the parsing, but they all got interpreted). I just checked its status in Google Drive, and it is now set generally for sharing (which it was not previously) would appreciate it if someone would try the earlier link (post #1233) again to verify its proper functioning
 
fdonadio said:
My first trip to Europe in 1996: there was a smoking section (and I was a smoker at the time), alcoholic drinks were free and there was no damn checkpoint — it was just a metal detector.
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I bet you had a security check on the way back.

I can remember security X-ray lines at Gatwick even in 1982 when I first flew. We Europeans have lived with that level of security at many airports for a long time. When I first flew within the USA some 15 years later I was shocked at the lack of security. Which is perhaps why I am not at all fussed about putting film through the older X-ray scanners. I've been doing it for over 40 years....including Delta 3200, Ektachrome and motion picture film. Never had any issue. But the CT scanners really do have the capacity to ruin film.

My view is that I am not going to bother staff with a request for a hand inspection if I believe they have an older X-ray system. If I am unsure or believe it's CT then I will ask "Is that safe for photo film?". Some airports still have "film safe" on the X-ray machines and I've seen some US airports with digital displays saying whether film is safe or not.
 
I was surprised to see plain XR machines in the the Precheck line at Las Vegas on Sunday, along with very friendly performers, though I didn't have any film to check.
 
loccdor said:
And don't get me started on how I got E.Coli/Salmonella from the meal on my last trip... that was a fun couple of days.
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It's fun, yes. But Heaven forbid really that you do not pick up e.coli's more nefarious bigger brother, ESBL (extended-spectrum ßeta-lactamase e.coli) — in many specific cases, a high-mortality superbug (that has learnt to evade antibiotics and penicillins by stealth and re-invention) that is widespread on planes (toilets, basins, arm-rests...pretty much everything). And I have history: had ESBL sepsis in 2021, putting me on a ventilator with line-of-last-resort carbapenamase treatment, ongoing for a very long, tedious and stressful 6 weeks.

So salmonella, e.coli... (aka 'Bali Belly'), just another day.

On my weekly commuting trips MEL-BNE-RTN, I assiduously swab down my seat and arm-rests/contact points with antiseptic wipes, even the toilet handle and anything else I am touch. One bitten, twice shy...

Film through airport CT scanners, as a subject, is passé.
I never worry about it, I don't make a fuss; just put the film out in front of Security and let them scrutinise it, open it, swab it ... they will make the decision what happens, not you. And colourful labels won't necessarily speed up the process. Oft-times my film gets visibly passed (eyed by one person to the next in Security) around the CT, other times (3x) RVP50 goes through 3-4x with nowt to speak of. End of day, I am more concerned about health threats on generally filthy planes and transit points.
 
Taylor K Nankervis said:
And I have history: had ESBL sepsis in 2021, putting me on a ventilator with line-of-last-resort carbapenamase treatment, ongoing for a very long, tedious and stressful 6 weeks.
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No that does not sound like fun and I'm glad you survived! That would be enough for me to avoid that part of the world. My mother had sepsis from a kidney stone a couple years ago and we almost lost her too.
 
I'd certainly recommend avoiding salmonella....nearly killed me in 1995. But that was my own fault, eating cheese that had been kept in an ice box on a yacht just a day or two too long. Scraping the mold off clearly wasn't enough. I learned that lesson.

Kodak logos may actually help with airport security. It's still a well known company with a striking logo/colour scheme. But what we are learning is that *most* airports worldwide are now recognising that film needs to be hand checked, and actioning requests for hand checks even in countries where that was previously not the norm.
 

Yes, that's my experience with all airports with CT scanners. I think the staff are told about film photography nerds in their training! However some airports still have the old X-Ray scanners, and there is often a notice displayed on or beside the scanner that says it is "film safe up to ISO800" or something similar. In such cases the staff often insist on X-raying the film, but I've never noticed any deleterious effects (I'm carrying ISO100 colour film).
 

In the past I've put Delta 3200 through traditional X-ray machines and had no discernible issues, including film I pushed to 6400. Also Fuji Superia 1600, Ektachrome, and motion picture film (super 8 Kodachrome, Ektachrome and Tri-X plus Fomapan std 8mm)

The caveat would be that I am not a professional but honestly, I think you have to try pretty hard to damage photo film with the older X-ray machines. With the CT scanners, damage is much more likely.
 

When I visited Russia in 2019 is was careful at JFK airport in NY to get hand inspection for the film I was taking, including TMAX3200 and Superia 1600. When I got off the plane in Moscow there was an X-ray machine to enter the country. And in country there were more X-ray machines than I had ever encountered before. Every museum had an X-ray to enter, the slow train out to the country side, the fast train to St. Petersburg, the performance and concert halls all had X-ray machines. I was careful to not take more film than I needed, but I had to take all of it when we went to St. Petersburg and when we took the train back to Moscow, and security at Moscow airport either didn’t understand what I was asking or simply wouldn’t make exceptions even for very fast film.

I didn’t develop or scan any of the film myself, but I didn’t see anything I would attribute to X-ray damage. I’m still paranoid about CT damage though.
 
BCN T1 Fast Track has 2x CT scanner. I haven’t asked them about the film but giving the fact that standard lane is far and there wasn’t any XRay equipment in vicinity, I’d assume they’ll provide hand check for films.
 
Just returned thru Denver (DIA) and they had big boxy looking CT scanners at East Security being used for TSA Precheck passengers.
 
two more data points early 2026:

Zurich Airport (ZRH): two passes (one by me, one by a friend). Had CT lines both times. no problem whatsoever getting hand inspections. really really friendly staff, had a chat about analog photography and the hand inpector was interested to see the medium format camera (said she only know 35mm).

Tenerife Sud (TFS): the opposite: really unfriendly stressed staff all over the airport. no way any hand inspection would be possible (most lines weren't staffed at all). luckily they looked like older x-ray machines. will know in a bit after I developed the films.
 
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