Re: A little about Nitrate Films

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JoeSarff@aol.com
Date: 02/16/01-07:16:04 AM Z


I used to work for a motion picture lab in Washington, DC. We did a lot of
work with the National Archives, and every once in a while Nitrate films
would be sent over to be reprinted, or a copy negative made.

When Nitrate film decomposes, it becomes VERY unstable, and can explode just
by being dropped from table height. Cellulose Nitrate is also called gun
cotton. Its manufacture is very similar to nitroglycerin. Most insurance
policies become void if the material is around, because of its unstable
nature (The labs did also, so we didn't do a lot, but people still sent it
in.)


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