Topic: Photo Chemical Waste in Palau

[Bryan]

This caught my attention as I was going through a list of hazardous waste at work today.  I'm preparing for a project in Palau to remove hazardous waste from the Micronesian island nation.  I'm scheduled to go out there next month to go over the waste inventories and figure out the logistics of the cleanup.  The photo chemicals are at one of several locations we will be visiting.  Palau used to be a U.S. Trust territory until it's independence in 1994.  The U.S. still has some association with Palau under the "Compact of Free Association", that's why I'm going there.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_of_Free_Association

I assume these chemicals are just left over from a business that used to develop film or supplied someone that did that.  We haven't done a cleanup in Palau since the 1990's so this stuff could be way out of date.  One of the problems with these islands is the cost of shipping stuff like hazardous waste off the island is prohibitive.  This sort of stuff usually just stays there until the government steps in to pay for it.  The same goes for automobiles, appliances and heavy equipment, it's usually just left to rust after it's useful life is up. 

When I first saw this list I thought I may be able to get film developed there, I don't think that's going to happen. 

CP-1 RA-PRM Developer replenisher kit
CPAC Imaging bleach fix replenisher
Film bleach starter process C-41
Kodak flexicolor RA bleach replenisher
Kodak plate developer
Silvermaster Activator

I think the Kodak Plate developer may have something to do with printing plates, not glass plates.  I believe these are all dry chemicals but that's one thing I need to check when I'm there. 

One interesting thing is the CPAC chemistry, it's a company created by some former Kodak engineers, the parent company also owns the Trebla Chemical Company and the Fuller Brush Company.  It's headquartered in New York but has operations in Thailand, Africa and Europe. They supply film developers for X-ray, C-41, E6, and Graphic arts.  I know a lot of third world countries still use X-ray film so there is still a fairly large market for it.  I don't think I've seen any of their chemistry at B&H or Adorama, etc.  It looks like their color film developers are mostly for film processing machines.  It seems they do a lot of manufacturing in Asia.  They also buy used X-ray film and black and white film for recycling. 

In 1998, CPAC, Inc. established CPAC Asia, its sixth worldwide photographic chemical manufacturing facility. A new building was constructed to service CPAC customers throughout the Pacific Rim and Middle East. The CPAC Imaging Group companies have a long history of manufacturing photographic chemicals and equipment. CPAC Asia uses its American and European technology and management team to produce premium quality photographic solutions.

https://www.cpacasia.com/index.php

[Francois]

That's really strange in a sense.
Maybe there's an old film processing machine in there that you could smuggle out along with the chemicals

One thing that surprised me is that the Fuller Brush company still exists. They used to have door to door salesmen back in the 50's.

The SilverMaster Activator is probably for B&W developing machines that used the old Ilford RC Rapid system. These had the developer already incorporated in the emulsion and used an activator+stabilizer system that revealed the image in a few seconds. For permanent prints there was an additional fixing stage.

The RA chemicals are for a Kodak print making machine (it uses the RA-4 process).

I've still got an old set of bottles for a Flexicolor C41 developer. I'd be very happy to find some C-41 bleach to go with it. But at the volumes I use, I don't think it would need decontamination gear and a team to clean-up a spill.

[Bryan]

That's really strange in a sense.
Maybe there's an old film processing machine in there that you could smuggle out along with the chemicals

One thing that surprised me is that the Fuller Brush company still exists. They used to have door to door salesmen back in the 50's.

The SilverMaster Activator is probably for B&W developing machines that used the old Ilford RC Rapid system. These had the developer already incorporated in the emulsion and used an activator+stabilizer system that revealed the image in a few seconds. For permanent prints there was an additional fixing stage.

The RA chemicals are for a Kodak print making machine (it uses the RA-4 process).

I've still got an old set of bottles for a Flexicolor C41 developer. I'd be very happy to find some C-41 bleach to go with it. But at the volumes I use, I don't think it would need decontamination gear and a team to clean-up a spill.

If that processing machine hasn't been used in a while it's probably rusty like everything else on those islands after it sits in the salt air for too long.  Plus, I'm going to avoid international smuggling while I'm on the job. 

That RC Rapid system sounds interesting. 

We're not actually cleaning up a spill.  Once a product is no longer useful it's waste so we're just removing the waste.  I won't be surprised if some of these containers that have been sitting a long time are loosing their contents.  Especially with the metal containers, they will rust through. 

[Francois]

That's always the big problem with metal containers.
Here off the shore of Newfoundland there is a site that is banned from any maritime traffic. After the war, the army thought it would be a good idea to use it to make barrels of chemical weapons "disappear". Now, from time to time, the barrels rupture and release their content. After a few fishermen were affected by one of those random leaks, the site has been marked off limit.

[Bryan]

The only thing left of the photo lab is the sign and the old chemicals stored in the basement.  There's a lot more chemistry than I was expecting.  Someone said they moved to a new location down the street but it looks like they just do printing and sell office supplies. 

[Francois]

Wow, some of the stuff looks in really good shape.
I was expecting leaking drums or something, but this doesn't look half bad.

[Bryan]

Wow, some of the stuff looks in really good shape.
I was expecting leaking drums or something, but this doesn't look half bad.

It looked like it was in pretty good shape, especially compared to the other stuff we looked at on the island.  The Kodak Flexicolor bottles are all slightly imploded, not sure what caused that. 

[Francois]

That's normal as the chemicals, especially developers, tend to react with oxygen. I know that every single glass bottle of developer I have does a little pshitt when I remove the cap.
What it means is that they are well sealed, probably with a foil under the cap. So one less worry there.

[Bryan]

I just wish they were powdered chemicals, we have to solidify all liquid wastes.  The shipping company we have to use goes through China.  They had a spill of liquid waste in the Chinese port a while back so now they are limited to only solid waste.  There’s a lot of liquid to solidify with these photo chemicals. 

[Francois]

That's going to be one heck of a stinky job that's for sure.
I know my photo supplier always double bags all liquid chemicals to prevent spills in transport. I can just imagine the people at the post office receiving a soggy box that smells weird... not really something that anybody is looking forward to.

But at least it isn't like that guy in the 60's who invented the turbo-differential for increasing the power of cars. He would mail bottles of hypergolic fuel in the same box through the USPS........ Lucky for him no accidents ever occurred in the postal service.

[LEAFotography]

I just wish they were powdered chemicals, we have to solidify all liquid wastes.  The shipping company we have to use goes through China.  They had a spill of liquid waste in the Chinese port a while back so now they are limited to only solid waste.  There’s a lot of liquid to solidify with these photo chemicals.

I'm intrigued...so will the chemicals be useful or usable once the water has been extracted, and they're back to solid form (i.e. to reuse, just add water)...or does solidifying them ruin the chemicals?

[Francois]

I'm guessing that they will be mixed with some type of absorbent material like either alginate or kitty litter.
I really doubt that they will ever be good again.

[Bryan]

I just wish they were powdered chemicals, we have to solidify all liquid wastes.  The shipping company we have to use goes through China.  They had a spill of liquid waste in the Chinese port a while back so now they are limited to only solid waste.  There’s a lot of liquid to solidify with these photo chemicals.

I'm intrigued...so will the chemicals be useful or usable once the water has been extracted, and they're back to solid form (i.e. to reuse, just add water)...or does solidifying them ruin the chemicals?

Like Francois said, they will be mixed with Diatomaceous earth (kitty litter) so that they meet the standard for a solid waste.  It may sound like a waste of photo chemicals but it’s the most economical way to get them off the island.  Nobody is going to use them in Palau.   

[Francois]

I'm not surprised that nobody will use them there. With only around 18,000 souls living on the island, I really doubt that there are any dedicated film photographers left.