Digital BW, The Print

For those who have gone fully digital and use compact flash cards in their
cameras, the following article from the Northern Virginia Photo Society
newsletter might be of interest.

\ufffd CompactFlash cards won\ufffdt survive irradiation: The
CompactFlash Association says that semiconductors
used in electronic systems, including CompactFlash
and CF I/O cards, will be irreparably damaged if subjected
to the irradiation process the U.S. Postal Service
put in place in Oct 2001 to sanitize the mail. Such
damage will not only cause loss of data stored on the
cards, but also the cards will no longer be operable.
Irradiation will also damage pharmaceuticals, contact
lenses, and photographic films. While e-beam irradiation
systems for the mail will damage CompactFlash
cards, the x-ray scanners at airports will not.