Question about Nitrocellulose Film & Fire Safety

[Shangas]

Hey folks,

I'm busy writing a piece about ivory, and this involves the discussion of early plastics, specifically celluloid, and its combustible nature.

According to one source, transporting nitrate film-stock on the London Underground was illegal, due to the high fire-risk.

Did a similar law exist anywhere else? I seem to recall that in the United States, it was also illegal (on buses, etc). Can anybody confirm this?

 

[AdeeC]

Try the Nitrateville website. Their are many experts on nitrate film there. I do believe there were a lot of regulations because of its hazardous nature in many countries. Today it requires specialist handling for commercial transportation.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It was and is illegal to transport nitrate film thru the mail or on common public conveyances. It has to be shipped express, in approved and properly labeled containers.

There was a notorious incident in Boston in 1925 when a man carrying a bag full of scrap film discarded from a local exchange happened to rest it on the floor of a subway car next to a heater outlet -- and that heat set it off, causing an explosion that injured fifty people and destroyed the car. Miraculously nobody was killed, but about half the people hurt were treated for severe burns or lung injuries from inhaling the smoke (which is largely composed of nitric acid vapor.)

 

[Shangas]

Lizzie you are a goldmine of information My thanks for your answers!!