International projectionist (Jan 1961-Dec 1962)

Old Nitrate Films Are Dangerous! By J. M. CALHOUN Eastman Kodak Co. Figure 2. A loose pile of a single 1000-foot roll of nitrate motion picture film 15 seconds after ignition. (Wall 9 feet high). From Cobb,9J. Nitrate motion picture film fires and accidents continue to occur with considerable loss of property and sometimes injury to personnel, or even death. These fires occur in spite of the fact that safety film has now been standard in the motion picture industry since about 1951. How does this happen? It is because many old nitrate motion picture films remain in storage and occasionally others may be imported. Perhaps the greatest danger is that the use of safety film has become so common that people tend to forget about the hazard of nitrate film. This article has been written to remind all concerned that old nitrate motion picture films are dangerous! Every year dangerous fires occur in old nitrate film storage vaults, in trucks transporting film, or in the unsafe disposal of nitrate film no longer wanted. In Table I is a summary of the nitrate motion picture film fires which have occurred in the U. S. and Canada over a Table I Nitrate Motion Picture Film Fires Reported* Years No Fi . of res No. of Deaths Property Loss 1931-35 1936-40 1941-45 1946-50 1951-55 1956-61 6 7 1 3 5 6 15 9 1 0 0 1 * * not reported not reported not reported $1,260,000 (1949) 688,000 (1954) 350,000 (1958) *Courresy, National Fire Protection Assn. **One 1961 fire added from newspaper report period of years, and were reported to the National Fire Protection Assn. All such fires are not reported, and the association believes its records account for approximately half of the fires which have occurred. The number of fires with resulting deaths and property loss caused by improper care and handling of nitrate film is convincing evidence of the danger of this material. EDITOR'S NOTE: — Dr. Calhoun is assistant director of the manufacturing experiments department of Kodak Park Works, Rochester, N. Y. Dr. Calhoun received his PhD degree in physical chemistry from McGill University and his work with the Eastman Kodak Co. has been primarily concerned with the physical characteristics of the film base material of photographic films. Prior to the widespread use of safety film in theatres, the motion picture industry was geared to the use of nitrate film. During the many years of experience with the hazards of nitrate film, proper safety precautions were established by the National Fire Protection Assn. and endorsed by the National Board of Fire Underwriters,1 as well as local fire codes. However, it is natural, and even desirable, that these safety precautions should be relaxed where only safety films in use, since the fire hazard of safety film is no greater than that of paper or wood. Danger enters only where nitrate motion picture film still exisits in storage, or where it is used for printing or projection, or during transportation or where disposal is attempted. It may be handled by people not familiar with the hazards of nitrate to which the industry was accustomed in the past. There is no way of knowing how much nitrate motion picture film is still in existence. Even though most commercial film exchanges now handle only safety film, many laboratories store old nitrate negatives, and intermediates, generally in vaults, for making new safety prints for television or theater re-release. Ironically, the danger increases as time goes on, because people become more used to safety film on the one hand, while nitrate films become older and even less stable on the other hand. In addition to regular motion picture industry channels, old nitrate motion picture films are often stored by government agencies, business firms, museums, universities, and private clubs. Very often the people who own or take care of such collections are quite unfamiliar with the dangerous characteristics of nitrate film. Even private homes sometimes contain old nitrate motion picture films, often stored away in an attic or closet where the temperature is high. This greatly increases the chance of a fire. It may well be that some of the fires which occur every year in private homes from unexplained causes are actually due to spontaneous ignition of small collections of old nitrate films. Any valuable nitrate motion picture films should be turned over to a museum or agency which is equipped to store them safely, or else they should be copied on safety film and disposal arranged for the originals. If International Projectionist May 1962