Radiographic darkroom

Dark room is a place where the necessary

handling and processing of films can be carried
out safely and efficiently, without the hazard
of producing ‘film fog’ by accidental exposure to
light or x-rays
 Complete blackout is unnecessary.

 Safe illumination is required to facilitate

darkroom procedures.

 It must exclude all outside light and provide safe

artificial light.
 Darkroom construction
 Darkroom illumination
 Darkroom equipments and its arrangement
 Health and safety in processing area
 LOCATION

 Centrally located
 Serviced by hatches from the adjacent imaging
room
 Away from damp or hot areas
 Accessible in terms of power and water supply
 Adjoining viewing room
 Completely light proof – no windows
CENTRALLY LOCATED DARK ROOM
PASS BOX

Two light tight and

x-ray proof doors

Both cannot be
opened at the same
time.
 SIZE

 Minimum floor area of 10 sq m

 Ceiling height of 2.7 – 3.3 m

 Size may be increased depending upon the

department needs
 RADIATION PROTECTION

 Walls adjacent to the radiographic rooms should

be shielded with correct thickness of the lead -
1.6 – 2 mm lead or its equivalent
 25mm high quality barium plaster
 225 mm thick single brick wall
 150 mm thick concrete
 X-ray apparatus in the adjacent room should be
properly placed – primary beam never be directed
at the darkroom wall.
 Radioactive materials should be stored as
remotely as possible from the darkroom.
 FLOOR

 Non-porous
 Non-slippery
 Chemical resistant
 Stain proof
 Durable & easy to maintain
 Light coloured (low-light working conditions)
• Asphalt tiles
• Porcelain tiles
• Clay tiles
• Plastic tiles may be used in the dry dark-rooms

 Walls adjacent to the sinks and wet processing

equipment should be protected to 1.3 m height
 WALLS & CEILING

 Light in colour to reflect as much light as

possible onto the working surface
 A glossy cream or white paint(to obtain as much
as reflected light as possible).
 Good quality paint, non-flaking
 Easy to wipe or clean
 Covered with chemical resistant materials
 Special paints, varnish, ceramic or plastic wall
 Ceiling should be at least 2.7 m high
 Non-flaking emulsion paint
 Any water pipes, electric cables or AC ducts to be
enclosed above a false ceiling
 VENTILATION AND HEATING
• Satisfactory working conditions
for the staff
• Adequate processing conditions
• Efficient automatic processor
performance
• Adequate removal of stale humid
air and supply of fresh air
• Intake and extract fans can be
used
• Relative humidity is maintained at around 40-60
%

• Room temperature maintained between 18-20

degree celsius

• A minimum of 5 - 10 air changes per hour

• Minimum of 1000 cu.ft. airspace/person

 All of these conditions can be achieved by using
a good air-conditioning system

 Exhaust fan if used are provided with a cowl on

the outside – light proof and protect against
wind pressures
 TYPE OF ENTRANCE

 Single door system

 Double door system

 Maze and Labyrinth

 Revolving door system

 SINGLE DOOR ENTRANCE

 Latch or lock from

inside
 Capable of releasing
the lock from
outside in case of
emergency
 Emergency exit
 Ideally no one should
work alone in a dark
room
DOUBLE DOOR ENTRANCE
Double door plan with interlocked doors
MAZE TYPE ENTRANCE

M
A
Z
E
LABYRINTH TYPE ENTRANCE

Light is reflected at least 3

times. Intensity is reduced to
a harmless level.

Black paint for the interior of

the passages

Matt black paint

Vertical height- 2m

Length – not less than 3 m

Width – not more than 700mm

Safelamps fitted along the

passageway
 Advantages of labyrinth:

• Easy and instant access to dark room

• No hazard to single-handed operator
• Allows for fresh air to come in
REVOLVING DOOR ENTRANCE

•3 feet in
diameter.
•Extends
about 15”
into each
adjoining
room.
•Lightproof
access to the
room.
 DARK ROOM ILLUMINATION

 White lighting

 Safelighting
 WHITE LIGHTING

 For inspection & maintenance of cassettes &

screens

 Cleaning of work surfaces

 Servicing of equipment, changing solutions

 Sited close to the ceiling ; Preferably centrally
placed

 Moderate in intensity (60w tungsten, 30w

fluorescent )
 SAFE LIGHTING

•A source of light which will not fog the films and still
provide adequate illumination under processing
conditions.
•Consists of a lamp fixture in which a pearl bulb of 25
W is used with a colored filter placed in front of the
bulb
•However no safe light is completely safe – depends on
wavelength /color , intensity of light and duration of
exposure.
How does a safelight work ?
 Color of the filter depends upon the sensitivity
of the x-ray film
 Eg: Kodak GS-1filter with green sensitive
Ortho-G film
 Usually brown or olive-green lighting is used –
represents region of the spectrum for which we
have greatest visual sensitivity at low levels of
illumination
 Two types :

 Direct safe lighting

 Indirect safe lighting

 SAFE-LIGHT LAMP
Direct safe lighting : light from
safe lamp directly falls onto the
work surface
Minimum distance of 1.2 m (4
feet) from the working surface
Best for loading & unloading areas
DIRECT SAFE LIGHT
 Indirect safe lighting : directs the light
towards the ceiling which reflects light back
into the room
 Is intended to provide general illumination of
the dark room
 Suspended atleast 2.1 m above floor level
 One for every 6.5 m2 of floor space
 Safe lamp for both direct &
indirect illumination

Filters on both upper and

lower surface
 Combination Safelight

Combination Safelight is a
unique two-compartment unit
features a safelight at the
bottom and a normal room
light at the top
 SAFE LIGHT FILTERS

 Sheet of gelatin dyed to the appropriate colour

and sandwiched between two sheets of glass for
protection
 Used in conjunction with a 25 W lamp
 Extremes of heat and moisture deteriorates
the filter gelatin
 Should be cleaned periodically
 TESTING FOR THE SAFETY OF SAFELIGHT

WHEN IS TESTING REQUIRED ?

• Darkroom is a new one

• Safelights have been changed
• New method or technique
• If a particular lamp is suspect as causing fogging
 Film is subjected to very small exposure, just
enough to cause graying
 In the darkroom, one half is covered with black
paper and other half exposed in the safelight
 Film is processed
 If uncovered portion is darker, darkroom
lighting is not safe.
DARK ROOM EQUIPMENTS
AND
LAYOUT
 Darkroom equipment
With automatic processing With manual processing unit
 Manual processing unit
 Automatic processor
 Loading bench
 Loading bench
 For film storage –
 For film storage –
hopper/drawers/
hopper/drawers/
cupboards.
cupboards.
 Cassette racks
 Cassette racks
 Cassette hatches
 Cassette hatches
 Darkroom sink
 Hangers for suspending
film
 Processing chemicals +
storage place.
 Drier
 PROCESSING APPARATUS
1. MANUAL PROCESSING

2.AUTOMATIC PROCESSING
AUTOMATIC PROCESSOR

Through the wall position for an automatic processor

MANUAL PROCESSING UNIT

MATERIAL – PVC /Stainless steel

ARRAY OF TANKS FOR MANUAL PROCESSING

 The loading bench:

 Long enough to allow 3–4 cassettes to be placed

side by side.
 Min length 2.5m per operator
 600 mm min width
 Min 900 mm high
 Top – hard wood – teak covered with linoleum
( easy to clean, hard wearing, anti-static)
 Formica is not recommended.
 Film hopper:

 Stores the unexposed films intended for

immediate use
 Under the loading bench
 Cone shaped drawer hinged at the lower edge
 Inside is painted black
 Prominent WARNING should be written on
outside that it should not be opened in white light
 Instead drawers and cupboards can also be used
to store unused films
FILM HOPPER FOR THE STORAGE OF
UNEXPOSED FILMS
 Cassette hatch : Two light tight and x-ray
proof doors

Should open on the

loading bench.
Interlocking device to
prevent both doors from
being opened simultaneously
Light proof

Must also be proof

against x-rays
Two compartments –
labelled ‘exposed’ and
‘unexposed’ on either side
DARK ROOM DRY BENCH SYSTEM

Cassette rack : Stores the loaded cassettes.

 Hanger storage

 Stored on metal wall brackets

 Each one projects about 230 mm from the wall
and can hold max 12 hangers
 Two brackets should be placed 100 mm apart
from each other
 Height of about 750 mm from the workbench
Hangers used for suspending films
during processing
DIFFERENT
TYPES

-Channel hangers

-Tension hangers

-Hanger bars and

clips

Tension hangers
Channel hangers
 The darkroom sink

 Placed adjacent to the processing unit

 Sink should be about 250 mm deep, and 750 x
450 mm in its other dimensions.
 Hot and cold water should be supplied
 Taps should be at least 400 mm above the sink
 Cupboards under the sink for storage of
equipments and chemical stocks
 Film Drier

•Films are hung in

their hangers
•Fan for circulating air
•Heater elements to
warm the air
•Drip tray is provided
beneath
•Interior safelight
Thermal film bin
 A well planned darkroom should have
following characteristics:
 Separation of dry and wet sections.
 Orderly sequence of events.
 Neat layout of the equipment.
 Clear ‘traffic lanes’ for the technicians.
Door
Dry bench

Processing unit Sink Drier

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN
THE PROCESSING AREA
 ELECTRICAL SAFETY

 GENERAL SAFETY

 CHEMICAL SAFETY
 ELECTRICAL SAFETY

 All electrical equipments to be sited well away

from sinks & manual processing units
 Adequate earthing of all electrical appliances
 No trailing cables from appliances
 Pull-cord switching for lights
 GENERAL SAFETY MEASURES

 The maximum level of safelighting consistent with

film sensitivity
 Adequate ventilation
 Second exits for fire safety
 Staff should be advised to read product labels &
mixing instructions before handling solutions
Thank you !
Safelight tests