Eating away at British Life

Fungal mould is eating away at the record of British life on film, and scientists from Manchester are hoping to stop the deterioration by developing a sensor placed in the film canisters.

Gavin Bingley and colleagues from Manchester Metropolitan University assessed the number and types of fungus spores released from contaminated film reels during a mock inspection. They hope to develop a sensor that will identify living mould by detecting small volatile compounds released during growth.

 The reels  – supplied by the North West Film Archive – revealed Aspergillus and Penicillium moulds with some reels releasing spores that exceeded the recommended safe exposure levels.

“Fungi that form mould on film reels produce enzymes that enable them to use components of the film for growth, leading to degradation of the film,” said Bingley, “If the film is especially mouldy, high numbers of spores can be released into the air, which means they could also be considered a health risk.”

Cinematographic film has a layer of gelatine on its surface – this layer is where the image is formed, but if the fungus forms a mould layer on the film, it produced enzymes which allow it to use the film as food and to grow.

While all film is potentially at risk, only those stored in damp conditions are likely to be affected. Most films are donated to the North West Film Archive and are stored under carefully controlled conditions, but they can deteriorate over time if they arrive in a contaminated state.

Bingley points out that destruction of the film is not the only way footage can be lost – dead mould can lead archivists to throw film away, even though it won’t damage the film any further. He hopes that his sensor will help prevent the problem.

“By placing sensor strips in film cans, archivists could identify anf immediately work on film with dead mould and take the recommended action for the storage, safe-handling and treatment of those living with mould,” Bingley concluded.