It’s true! I had no idea. I order it through Amazon JP. I can only purchase one roll at a time and I usually have a roll in one of my camera, one waiting to be processed and one in one of my camera bags. I’m a bit nervous as I have mine processed by a local lab. Ease of processing is important to me, I am not a big fan of waiting at the post office to mail packages or waiting a couple of weeks for processing time. But they process it and I’m sure they know what they are doing.
Why is it banned?
Apparently there are chemicals that the EPA do not allow for film. I was made aware from a gentleman responding to a post in a forum group that I invest a little time at.
As with many things, I decided to check out Wikipedia. Seems things are counterintuitive these days. You would think that publicly edited content would be filled with half truths and such but Wikipedia seems to be pretty well grounded in the science and truth of things.
On July 6, 2021, Fujifilm announced the discontinuation of Velvia 100 within the United States, effective immediately. The chemical phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)) (CASRN 68937-41-7), the use of which is banned under the EPA's Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), is present in minuscule quantities within the layers of the film. While Fujifilm believes the trace amount is not harmful to the environment, they opted to discontinue the film within the United States in compliance with the regulation. Their statement does not make it clear if the film will continue to be sold in other markets.[14]
EPA Toxic Control Act (Summary)
I’m going to continue to use it however I’m going to be a little more cognizant in washing my hands after loading film or handling the inside of my cameras.TSCA addresses the production, importation, use, and disposal of specific chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos, radon and lead-based paint.
Yikes! It totally makes sense why it’s not sold here. I know that Velvia is the favorite film of a lot of analog photographers, me included. I have been shooting Kodak Ektar more and I think I’ll back off on ordering Velvia so much. But I will now purchase the Velvia 50 if I’m going to buy it. It’s just the most vivid colorful film. The contrasting colors of the desert and sky just speak to me, I love the way desert varnish is rendered.
No comments:
Post a Comment