European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Protecting your picture Airport a Ray machines May harm film because of the threat of terrorism carry on bags and checked Luggage Are routinely a Rayed. By David Hoffman Washington Post the War in the persian Gulf and the threat of. Terrorism have thrown the Airport Security system in the United states and much of the world into a state of High Alert. Inevitably this has made travel More difficult for those who Are carrying cameras and film. But there Are some simple Steps you can take to protect your pictures your equipment and your fellow  for a threatened wave of terrorism the Federal aviation administration announced shortly after the Gulf War began that it was putting 435 . Airports on the most severe Security Alert known As level 4. This Means More rigorous Security measures everywhere including increased scrutiny of passengers and their bags at Check in overseas As Well there Are redoubled efforts to screen travellers at the terminal Gates and passengers can now assume that their Luggage is being a Rayed As Well. The added hassles mean you can t any longer just dash for your plane and Hope to make it. The Best Way to Cope is to Lake the Security measures calmly. And seriously. After Many years of hauling All kinds of computer and camera gear through airports i have come to the conclusion that the Best Way to avoid frustration is to arrive Early and be patient. Can Airport a rays Hurt your film theoretically yes. A rays Are electromagnetic radiation just As Light rays Are and because they Are a Shorter Wavelength they penetrate More materials. Unlike the Light rays that leave selective images however the a rays cause an Overall increase in density or  but the extent of this depends on How big a dose of a rays your film is subjected to. L3st year a group of experts on a Ray machines Airport Security and film looked at the question of How big a dose is too  experts were members of the committee on Security systems and equipment of., the american society for testing and materials. They concluded that most Airport screening devices0 in the United states will not affect film of Iso 4q0 or less during a single screening. However such guarantees cannot be made for higher Speed films or for a Ray machines in other countries. Another danger to film. Could be multiple screenings which could gradually cause film to fog. The.  signs at . Airports warning about dangers to film. If you Are travelling with High Speed films or anticipate your film will receive multiple doses of a rays try to avoid exposure to both exposed and unexposed Rolls by asking for a hand inspection there Are some simple Steps you can take to protect your pictures your equipment and a your fellow passengers. Which you Are entitled to under Faa  Means setting your film Down outside the a Ray mat Hine Tor visual scrutiny by Airport personnel. If the line is King you May be asked to wait. Abroad its also a Good v idea to ask for hand inspection but its not always As easy. A a a 0 a remember color negative film is most vulnerable to a rays Fuji recommends that you avoid exposure to film of Iso 1 goo and higher Kodak suggests you avoid a rays for anything Over Iso .1000, blae.k-an.d-. White and slide films Are less susceptible. There is still _ a lot of debate among professional photographers about the exact threshold of safety. Some pros say their practice is to always ask for hand inspection but. Film experts say it is probably not necessary for Iso 100 films going through the a Ray machine just ice. Always get ready in Advance. Professional u photographers who travel open suggest taking film Rolls out of their containers and putting them in a. Plastic in lot k bag. This makes the film easy to see and prevents the obvious trouble of having to open every Little Container while  you Are fuming. C however troublesome it May seem it s a Good idea to travel through airports without film in your it Umeru so if need to it can be opened quit  inspection. I Here should be no harm in putting the camera itself through the a Ray. According to the Faa,.under the new pro it endures passengers May be sub Elt Ted to a More questioning about the contents of their Luggage so it s also prudent to have All your gear easily available to enable it to  it Nec Essaiy. It s not uncommon to be asked to Advance your camera a. Frame and press the shutter so that Security people can see that it s a working machine. I hey May also want to look through auxiliary lenses or through the viewfinder. In earlier limes it was often a Good idea to put in your  baggage things like radios and excess batteries. But even checked Luggage is now routinely a a Rayed in port because the bomb that downed pan am it t  in a tape player in a suitcase and the  such items could c Ause you and your bag to Geh Yunli a from the flight. The same goes. For those Lead bugs that were often used to protect film. Because they protect tin.1 film so Well they could look suspicious on a Ray screens and cause you or the Bug or both to miss the flight while Security Peoples Check it out. It s Best  with you in your Arry on bag anything that could be questioned. Another Way to avoid damage to your Pic lures is to have the film developed As soon As you get bar k. It it has been fogged the situation will Only deteriorate in you wait Low do you know if film has uttered a Ray damage i his kind of Quot fog Quot will not Only he  Frame but in the areas Between the frames that a normally not exposed. Yes Selt Unity c an he a bother but a a not i Ltd a buy one and the Best Way to Deal with it c loin. Prepared in c a Elul and to . R Fth Rumary 2h, of h str Pes