Christian:
There were a few "off" brands of nitrate base microfilm sold in the late 1940's to early 1950's.  Checking with the Image Permanence Institute is your best bet.  An "unofficial" field test is to take a 2" or so piece of a leader from one of the rolls, GO OUTSIDE, place the leader in a container (like a saucer or ashtray size ceramic or pottery dish), and light it with a match.  If it is nitrate it will ignite and burn extremely rapidly - almost instantaneously.  If it is safety film (either acetate or polyester) it will burn slowly with very little flame and melt.

Ginny Jones 
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI) 
Records Manager 
Information Technology Division 
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities 
Newport News, VA 
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-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Christian Meinke
Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 11:25 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [RM] Nitrate film for Micrographics?

We've come across a collection of 16mm microfilm reels dated from 1947 to
1962, that are in a bad state of decay - an extreme case of vinegar
syndrome. Because of the age (some prior to the 1952 discontinuance of
Nitrate film stock), there is concern that some may be nitrite cellulose
based and hence much more hazardous. Any of you folks with a broader
background in micrographics have an easy way to determine if any of the
film stock is nitrate - or even if Nitrate film was ever made for
micrographic purposes? - to me everything is consistent with acetate film,
but I've never dealt with Nitrate film so that may be ignorance on my part.

Thanks,

Christian

                           Christian Meinke, CRM
                        Southern California Edison
                          Information Governance
                          (626) 302-7133/PAX 27133
                           Mobile (818) 414-9515
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