Here’s everything about cutting Polaroid pictures being safe:
Generally speaking, it is safe to cut Polaroid pictures.
You will not risk harm to yourself or the immediate environment around you.
But, cutting into a Polaroid picture will expose the internal components to air, and that exposure can significantly shorten the overall lifespan of the Polaroid picture.
So if you want to learn all about how safe it is exactly to cut Polaroid photos, then this article is for you.
Keep reading!
Are Polaroids Safe to Cut?
As you just saw, the general answer is that it is safe to cut polaroid pictures.
There are no devastating chemicals that are going to burn through your hands or poison you or anything like that.
If that’s all you needed to know, then you can feel reasonably safe.
But, if you want to take a deeper look, there are caveats to this idea of safety.
Cutting Polaroids can have negative impacts on you, the environment, and the pictures themselves if you don’t really understand what is happening or what is safe.
The biggest thing you need to understand is that a Polaroid works (like any film) through chemical development.
There are compounds inside the film when you take a picture.
After the process of taking that picture, the compounds are activated, and they eventually metabolize.
That’s a lot of technical language to say that for roughly 24 hours after you snap a Polaroid, chemical reactions are taking place.
After 24 hours, things calm down, and it’s a lot safer to cut into the photos.
With all of that covered, let’s look into exactly what health concerns can exist when you cut into a Polaroid.
What Are the Health Concerns When Cutting Polaroid Photos?
I want to emphasize that even before the Polaroid develops, the compounds in it are not excessively toxic.
If you cut an undeveloped Polaroid, you’ll probably get those chemicals on your hand, and they won’t burn you or make you sick.
Even so, any compound can become toxic in high enough quantities.
Literally even water can have dangerous effects if you drink too much of it (although it’s not a common problem for people).
So, if you start cutting open Polaroids and drinking the compounds, you can definitely get sick. Let’s not be reckless here.
Assuming you aren’t trying to cause problems for yourself, the greater risk with Polaroids is irritation.
If you can get the compounds on your hands, you can conceivably also get them in your eyes, and that’s not ideal.
I’ve never tried it, but rumor has it that it can be an unpleasant experience.
So, if you get Polaroid chemicals on your hands, wash them with soap and water.
If you get any in your eyes, flush them with clean water (and consider seeing the eye doctor just to make sure you don’t have a bad reaction).
Also, getting a bunch of Polaroid chemicals on your hands might irritate your skin.
Allergic reactions are possible.
If you notice redness or swelling, seek a medical professional to alleviate the situation.
I’m throwing a lot at you here, so let’s recap and simplify.
For the most part, cutting a Polaroid won’t hurt you, even if the chemicals are still active.
If you wait at least 24 hours for it to develop before you start cutting it, then you should be fine.
There’s always a risk of an allergic reaction if you’ve never touched the chemicals before.
If you have a reaction, talk to a doctor.
That’s about it for health concerns.
What About Environmental Concerns When Cutting Polaroid Pictures?
Sure, you’ll be fine, but are you going to destroy the environment by cutting up Polaroids for scrap projects?
Is this somehow going to harm the dolphins?!
It’s a bit of a mixed bag.
Once again, that 24-hour time limit matters a lot.
The chemicals are designed to become inert after the photo develops, and that’s largely what happens.
So, cutting into a single Polaroid definitely won’t make the world burn.
The bigger issues occur when you cut too soon and active compounds are released.
They are water-soluble, so you can wash them off of you with soap and water, and they are safe to go down your drain.
The primary chemical concern in it all is silver halide.
This is a small crystalline substance that is mixed into the Polaroid formula, and it’s essential for photo development.
In small quantities, it’s pretty harmless, but if you go on a mad Polaroid surgery spree, you could release enough of it that it could turn water alkaline.
It would take a huge number of Polaroids to harm a natural body of water, but if you’re environmentally conscientious, the general idea is to mitigate how much you contribute to water alkalinity.
In other words, if you have a single mishap, you don’t need to write a formal apology to mother nature.
But, when you have the option, it’s better to minimize how much silver halite you flush down a toilet.
Again, just wait 24 hours after you snap your photo, and you don’t really have to worry about getting the crystals in the water supply.
Cutting a fully developed Polaroid can release silver halide, but it’s less likely to happen.
So, that’s your best bet for keeping the environment safe.
Will the Polaroid Pictures Be Safe?
There’s an aspect of safety that we have not discussed yet.
You might be safe.
The environment should be ok.
But, what about the picture itself?
What happens to a Polaroid when you cut it?
Once again, we have to think about development.
If you cut the Polaroid before it is fully developed, then you can damage the development process.
Even if the picture is fully formed, cutting before that 24-hour period finishes will seriously shorten the lifespan of the photo, and it can even cause the image to degrade quickly.
For the sake of the picture, give it a day.
If you do wait 24 hours before cutting, there’s still an issue you will want to understand.
Polaroids are sealed.
When they remain sealed, the pictures can last for many decades (as long as they are stored properly).
There’s a chance you’ve seen Polaroids that are 50 years old or older.
When you cut through the picture, you expose the internal compounds to the air.
Even though the development compounds are inert at this point, the “inks” (they aren’t technically ink, but they color the picture and make the shape) can degrade over time, and direct exposure to air accelerates that process.
Cutting the Polaroid can take decades off of its life span.
For plenty of projects, that’s an acceptable trade-off to cut the picture.
For others, it’s not really what you want.
What Is an Alternative to Cutting Polaroids?
So, if you really want to customize a Polaroid without shortening its lifespan, there’s a simple alternative.
You can digitally scan the Polaroid.
Photo scanners are pretty capable these days.
Once you get a digital version of the picture, you can crop and edit it as much as you like.
When you’re ready, you can print it, and that print can be cut without any of the issues I’ve discussed so far. It’s a nice alternative option.
But if you really want that special Polaroid aesthetic, you can cut the photos as long as you understand what it means for the picture.
