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The importance of x-ray film recycling can be gathered from the fact that the process is able to recover three types of material. One is the plastic used in the film, second is to collect paper if the film is contained in manila envelopes, and third, is to extract the precious metal silver. Silver is the basis for all photographic films and is clearly the most important component of photographic chemistry. Another objective why films must be recycled and therefor important is because the private patient information they contain requires its proper destruction. There is actually a law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that outlines the steps that must be taken to destroy x-ray films. After these are destroyed, then the valuable materials they contain can be recycled.
Due to the widespread use of x-ray in the medical profession, large amounts of the precious metal are recovered during film recycling. It is not surprising that the largest use of silver is for x-ray film and it has been estimated that about five billion images where taken in 2010. The silver found in these images represents a fifth of the metal used worldwide. Mining silver is increasingly becoming more expensive because the resource is getting scarce. Cost of production which includes refining silver ore is also getting more expensive. That is why recovering silver from disposed films is viable and profitable thus driving the x-ray film recycling business. Each film has about two percent by weight of silver suspended in the emulsion that coats the plastic film. This amount of silver is almost negligible. However, due to the large number of radiographic images taken each year, x-ray film recycling is big enough to support the activity at an industrial scale.
It must be noted that most x-ray film recycling centers want to receive these materials in bulk. Those who want to recycle films but could not produce the right quantity are often told to bring them to local depositories. These x-ray film recycling depositories will do the shredding of the film for you for free and in a manner that complies with the law. Expect to be not paid for the silver content in your film. If you have film in sufficient quantities, most x-ray film recycling centers are willing to send their own people and vehicles to do the lifting for you. Most of them are able to respond on the same day you contacted them. The price of the film to be disposed depends on the current market price of silver and the volume of film to be recycled. Remember, if companies are willing to send their people and their trucks for x-ray film recycling, then you must ask them how much the worth of silver in the films is. If you are able to dispose a bigger quantity, you will get a better price for them. If it were not for the medical imaging industry, photographic films would become obsolete as evidenced by the meteoric rise in the popularity of digital cameras.
The law requires that a certificate of destruction must be issued after a film has been torn into bits. This is proof that private information in the film has been obliterated and can never be divulged. Obviously then, the law is based on protecting the right of the patient. However, state laws may require a time limit before x-ray films can be destroyed. Hence it is always a good idea to make sure that films are over the limit before taking them to an x-ray film recycling facility.
Another important resource that can be recovered during x-ray film recycling is plastic. This type of plastic is called Polyethylene terephthalate or PET. PET is easily recyclable. Aside from film, other common uses of PET include food containers, bottles, and fibers for ropes and textiles. When PET is recycled into fibrous form, they end up commonly used as Polar fleece and more widely as carpet fibers.
The most common method of x-ray film recycling and recover silver is by burning the material at high temperatures. While the objective of destroying the film is achieved, burning film in high temperature furnaces is clearly not environmentally friendly. The maintenance cost of operating high temperature furnaces is quite high due to the manpower required to keep the oven clean and free from soot. Obviously when film is burned no plastic material is left that can be recycled. A cheaper and a more earth-friendly way of x-ray film recycling fortunately have been developed. The process utilizes enzymes that break down some of the substances that coat the film. The coating is actually an emulsion containing silver. Shredded film is placed in vats containing the enzyme. After the coating has been dissolved, the silver is recovered together with bare plastic that can be further processed for reuse.
One could only imagine if there was no alternative developed to burning during x-ray film recycling. An equivalent of about five billion sheets of recyclable plastic would be made unavailable every year. Clearly then, x-ray film recycling is a very important activity not only because it lessens the emission of greenhouse gasses, the recycled plastic can be used as material for other products.
A significant amount of paper is used as envelopes for x-ray films. Recycling paper is already a well-developed industry. Most x-ray film recycling centers will make sure that all patient information printed on paper is destroyed as well. When you choose a recycling center for x-ray film, make sure that the facility separates the film from the envelopes before they are shredded. Otherwise, it would be difficult to utilize the enzymatic breakdown of the silver emulsion coating of the film thus leaving burning as the only recourse to recover the silver.
There are hazardous by-products of x-ray film recycling. These are best left to the experts for safe and proper disposal. Most reputable recycling centers follow guidelines of the EPA or Environmental Protection Agency.
The importance of x-ray film recycling is obvious because it is a legitimate business and is labor intensive and at the same time when done in compliance with the law, recycling destroys the film thus protecting the right of the patient’s privacy of their medical records.
Visit our directory for information about x-ray recycling services in the following cities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina:
- Birmingham AL
- Montgomery AL
- Mobile AL
- Huntsville AL
- Tuscaloosa AL
- Jacksonville FL
- Miami FL
- Tampa FL
- St. Petersburg FL
- Orlando FL
- Atlanta GA
- Columbus GA
- Savannah GA
- Athens GA
- Sandy Springs GA
- Jackson MS
- West Gulfport MS
- Gulfport MS
- Southaven MS
- Hattiesburg MS
- Tupelo MS
- Columbia SC
- Charleston SC
- North Charleston SC
- Mount Pleasant SC
- Rock Hill SC
We also provide information on the following x-ray recycling and other services:
- x-ray film disposal
- silver recovery companies
- silver recovery from film
- x ray disposal
- silver reclamation