ATLANTA (CNN) -- Film may be more likely to be damaged in checked luggage than by going through airport X-ray machines, says the Photographic and Imaging Manufacturers Association (PIMA) after testing rolls of filmed scanned by new bomb-detection scanners.

Last summer, PIMA conducted tests on the CTX 5000, used to scan checked baggage.

"We took various speeds of film from all the major manufacturers," said Tom Dufficy, the association's executive vice president. "We placed them in the typical type of luggage that would be checked by a traveling member of the public, and we ran it through the CTX system."

All of the film tested was damaged, either foggy or grainy with lines or streaks, or with loss of color.

The CTX 5000 is used at 16 airports around the world, including six in the United States. InVision Technologies, the machine's manufacturer, said the benefits are well worth the risk.

"If we save one passenger's life or if we save one aircraft, find one terrorist, that definitely pays for any amount of inconvenience of film damage," said InVision's Steve Wolf.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it is aware the new bomb detection devices can damage film, and is working with the airlines on ways to notify passengers and allow them to remove film from checked baggage.

In the meantime, how can those vacation pictures be saved?

"People should definitely not put it in their luggage," said Greg Bragg, general manager of Wolf Camera & Video's 14th Street Superstore in Atlanta. "They should take it through the scanning area where they walk through to get to the plane. And they should ask the individual who's at the machine to hand check their film."

One product that's been used by travelers for years is the Film Shield, a lead-laminated bag that protects film both before and after pictures have been taken. For less than $20, the shield protects film from scanners used for both checked and carry-on baggage.

Based on a report from CNN's Business and Travel and Beyond. The segment appears weekdays on Early Edition at 7 AM (ET) and on Morning News at 10 AM (ET).

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Related stories:

• FAA enacts new airport security measures - January 2, 1998
• New airport security means dogs, better scanners - November 22, 1997
• Security industry touts advances in airport screening devices - September 18, 1996

Related sites:

• InVision Technologies
  • CTX 5000 overview
• Wolf Camera & Video
• Federal Aviation Administration

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