Nitrocellulose film
On May 15, 1929, in the basement of the Cleveland Clinic, an academic hospital, two violent explosions and a subsequent fire killed 123 people. A light bulb left too close to a pile of x-ray film ignited the film, causing fire and toxic fumes to quickly overcome the four story building (Clifton, 2016). The film was made from nitrocellulose, also known as cellulose nitrate or simply nitrate, which, when exposed to flame burns uncontrollably, even under water. It was this disaster and those in movie theaters around the world that eventually led to nitrate film being replaced by safer materials.
While nitrate film is no longer produced, it is still prevalent in many historic film and photo collections around the world. Archivists, conservationists, and librarians who work with it must be aware of nitrate's risks and take extra precautions when handling, storing, transporting, and exhibiting it. This site will focus primarily on issues of moving images on nitrate film, however, many of the storage and handling considerations will be the same for still photography negatives and X-rays.
While nitrate film is no longer produced, it is still prevalent in many historic film and photo collections around the world. Archivists, conservationists, and librarians who work with it must be aware of nitrate's risks and take extra precautions when handling, storing, transporting, and exhibiting it. This site will focus primarily on issues of moving images on nitrate film, however, many of the storage and handling considerations will be the same for still photography negatives and X-rays.