National Archives and Records Service film-vault fire at Suitland, Md. : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session, June 19 and 21, 1979 (1979)

Record Details:

Title:
National Archives and Records Service film-vault fire at Suitland, Md. : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session, June 19 and 21, 1979
Date:
1979
Publisher:
Washington : U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
Volume:
National Archives and Records Service film-vault fire at Suitland, Md. : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session, June 19 and 21, 1979
Leaf #:
000162
Language:
English
Subjects:
Washington National Records Center. Building A, Motion picture film collections
Collection:
Books and Government & Law
Format:
Books
Contributor:
Prelinger Library
Sponsor:
Internet Archive
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:
Date Added:
July 19, 2022
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154 To begin witli, the manufocture of nitrnte filn vns discootinued in the United States about 1951. So even tlic newest nitrate film is at least 28 years old. Nitrate film burns 20 to 30 times as fast as wood although it has approximately the same amount of BTU's per pound, i.e. 6-8,000. 'Thile 2500 pounds of nitrate film have burned in I56 seconds, it must be remembered that that v.'as exposed nitrate film outside storage containers stacked up into one big pile. That is not the v;ay nitrate film is found in vaults or should not be found. V/hen burned vn'thout sufficient air, as in a film can, toxic gases are given off. Other gases jiven off are highly explosive and have caused secondary explosions. As nitrate film decor.iposes it starts burning at lov/er and lov/sr temperatures. Investigation of a fire in N'ev; Yor!'; City in 19'+9 in';Cated that decomposing nitrate film could spontaneously ignite at temperature as lov/ as IO6 F. Ni»-'-ate film is chemically unstable and is continually decomposing, even at room temperatures. The gases of decomposition attack other parts of the same real of film. I.'itrate film shculd be stored in loose fitting cans in properly ventilated vaults. This would allov/ the gases to escape before they can damage other film. According to Karr "the end of nitrate film is inevitable; it will eventually either completely decompose or else perhaps spontaneously ignite". Nitrate film dctcrrioratcs in stages. The first begins v;ith the fading of the image and discoloration of tlic film. The second stage is when the film becomes sticky v/i th one layer of film clinging to the next. In the third stage bubbles appear and a bad odor is