Re: Warning of major NHS IT overspend

[Brian Beesley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>]

On Tuesday 02 November 2004 09:37, Brian Morrison wrote:
> On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 02:16:37 +0000 in
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] Adrian Midgley
>
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > the volume of storage required in the hospital for film
> >  may be both larger and more expensive than the volume required for
> >  digital images.
>
> Digital storage *might* also be a smaller fire risk, it certainly used
> to be the case that X-ray film was pretty combustible.

Digital storage - in volume - is going to consume a lot of electrical power, 
which has an associated fire risk. If nothing else, capacitors in power 
supplies fail catastrophically; however carefully systems are designed, there 
will inevitably be occasions when an uncontained fire results.

I believe the use of cellulose acetate as a film base was discontinued 
several decades ago. Modern film stock _does_ burn but is not particularly 
easy to ignite and not very enthusiastic about remaining alight unless there 
is an unusually high partial pressure of oxygen. In any case there is no need 
for a film store to contain an ignition source.

Brian Beesley