Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!batcomputer!eacj
From: eacj@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Julian Vrieslander)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Magnetic storage and X-ray machines.
Message-ID: <9322@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: 19 Nov 89 02:31:52 GMT
References: <5850@lindy.Stanford.EDU> <3103@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Reply-To: eacj@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (Julian Vrieslander)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cornell Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 17

In article <3103@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> wilkins@jarthur.UUCP (Mark Wilkins) writes:
>   However, you ask about floppies and tapes.  Magnetic media which are
>passed through an x-ray machine are definitely at risk.  The reason I made
>the comment about hard disks is that they are shielded quite well.
>   Unshielded magnetic media definitely should not be passed through the
>x-ray detector.  Although I haven't heard of any problems, the chances for
>difficulty are at least 100 times greater than with fixed disks.

I agree with this advice.  I recall seeing a discussion of this subject
elsewhere, where a claim was made that it is not the x-rays themselves that
can damage magnetic media.  But some x-ray machines produce stray magnetic
fields that may be strong enough to do damage.  
-- 
Julian Vrieslander 
Neurobiology & Behavior, W250 Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853    
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