You absolutely can recycle x-ray film. However, it isn’t a simple process. This is because you cannot just take it to a local recycling center and ask them to deal with it.
X-ray film is recyclable. It can’t be brought to a traditional recycling center, however. It will need to be sent to a specialty recycling company which will recover the silver in the film and dispose of the remaining materials properly.
Instead, you have to go through a unique process. That is what we mostly want to discuss on this page.
Can You Recycle X-Ray Film?
Absolutely. The x-ray film must be recycled. It contains silver which, of course, is a precious metal. We must try to recover this as much as possible. After all, the medical industry relies heavily on silver. We do not want to put too much into landfills as it can increase the price of silver, making certain medical care more expensive.
How is X-Ray Film Recycled?
The only part of the x-ray film that can be recovered is silver. Everything else in the film is pretty useless on the recycling front. That will have to go to a landfill.
However, don’t worry. The recycling center will handle that part for you.
To process involves the film being heated to 2000C. At this point, the silver will become molten and can be easily extracted from everything else.
The silver will not be pure, though. Other chemicals will need to be added to the molten silver to help purify it.
Once the silver has been purified, it will be set in molds. It can then be processed the same way silver is usually processed. This means it will often be sold to jewelers, the medical industry, or computer component manufacturers.
Silver is infinitely recyclable, so it can be put through this process several times.
Where Do You Take X-Ray Film To Be Recycled?
This is where you will probably run into issues. Finding a place that accepts the x-ray film can be pretty challenging.
If you work in a hospital, you will probably already have a company that the hospital works with. So you won’t have to worry about recycling it yourself.
Due to the legal ramifications, no hospital in the United States sends their x-ray films out in the trash, so you know that they will be appropriately recycled.
If you are not working in a hospital, you will quickly find that your average recycling center will not take the x-ray film off your hands. There are a couple of reasons for this.
First and foremost, they will not have the equipment required to extract the silver from the x-ray film. It is a delicate process that involves some pretty toxic materials floating about. It is unlikely that they will ever get the equipment too. This is because they would never have to recycle enough x-ray films to justify the price.
Secondly, the recycling centers will not be too happy handling medical records. This is because certain specifics must be in play to help protect those medical records. We can 100% guarantee that your local recycling center will not have those processes in place.
In most cases, you will need to send your old x-ray films by mail to a company specializing in recycling them. Do not just send it to any old company, though. Make sure that they are reputable in the business. You need to know that they will be handling medical records within the confines of the law.
This means that they will need to conform to HIPAA. If they do not say that they work with HIPAA, then the medical records should not be going anywhere close to them. Under no circumstances should you be sending medical records outside of the United States.
How Do You Prepare An X-Ray Film For Recycling?
There isn’t much you will need to do when preparing the x-ray film for recycling.
Your only genuine concern should be whether you can recycle the x-ray film. As you may well know, hospitals and other medical establishments must keep the x-rays for a certain time before they are disposed of. This can be upwards of a decade.
So, ensure that you have held the records long enough; otherwise, you will be breaking the law. If you are disposing of your documents, you won’t have to worry about this too much.
It is worth noting that if an x-ray film is over 50 years old, it can contain very flammable material. If you are sending x-ray films that are this old to companies that are recycling them, then make sure that you let them know you have old film. They may not accept it. You will also need to ensure that you package the film securely before sending it in.
Can You Put X-Ray Film In The Trash?
No. It is illegal to dispose of medical records in the standard trash. While there shouldn’t be that much of an issue if you are disposing of your medical records, we still wouldn’t recommend it.
You have to remember that x-ray films are made from highly toxic materials. These toxic materials will seriously damage the environment if they get into a landfill.
Even a tiny amount leaking into the water supply can be deadly to animals. You then have to worry about the chemicals in the soil, which can travel for miles around, impacting the land.
Conclusion
You can recycle an x-ray film. However, due to various pieces of legislation, it will not be easy to do by any stretch of the imagination. Your local recycling center almost certainly will not deal with x-ray films.
You will often have to mail them off to a specialist company to recycle them for you. It would be best never to put x-ray films in the standard trash. Not only is it illegal, but it will damage the environment.
