Can URINE on an SD card cause data corruption?

[Glaucoides]

I know this is a really weird question, but...

If a very small amount of urine gets on an SD memory card, can it cause corruption/damage to the photos stored on the card?

A little bit of pee may have gotten on an SD card containing photos of a very rare bird I photographed yesterday. Very little urine (if any) actually got on the card -- all that happened was that I handled the card after I had grabbed a piece of clothing that had gotten some pee on it. But is it possible that the urine could have damaged the card in such a way that the colors/patterns visible in the photos might be slightly corrupted or changed in any way?

This bird is probably the first of its kind ever photographed in North America. The photos look fine, but I don't want to claim such a rare sighting based on photos that might be slightly corrupted. So I'd like to know if you all think it's possible that data corruption occurred!

Thanks!

 

[Dave442]

Seems unlikely.

 

[Piccell]

Doubtful in one day, but it will corrode the contacts so I'd get the images off the card ASAP and then decontaminate the cards contacts.

 

[480sparky]

Memory cards have spent years immersed in lakes, rivers and oceans and the images were still there. I doubt a few drops of avian tinkle is going to do much.

 

[Glaucoides]

Doubtful in one day, but it will corrode the contacts so I'd get the images off the card ASAP and then decontaminate the cards contacts.

Very little, if any, urine actually got on the card -- I just touched the card with my fingers after I grabbed a piece of clothing that had gotten a little pee on it. But I did get the images off the card IMMEDIATELY after this incident. So, the images are fine and I don't need to worry about potential color corruption?

 

[ZombiesniperJr]

Dont have an answer to your question but can you tell me what type of bird this very rare bird is

 

[480sparky]

Once they've been copied to another recording media, they're fine.

 

[Glaucoides]

Dont have an answer to your question but can you tell me what type of bird this very rare bird is

It's either a Taimyr Gull, a Mongolian Gull, or a Lesser Black-backedXHerring Gull hybrid -- the first two would be 1st records for North America; the latter would be a first for the West as far as I know...

These three are very similar and I may never know which of the three it is, although I'm currently leaning towards Taimyr Gull...

 

[Glaucoides]

Once they've been copied to another recording media, they're fine.

They were still only on that one SD card at the time the pee got onto it.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I thought it got dropped in the toilet or somebody's kid or dog went potty on it or some worse disaster when I read this! lol I doubt it, if it was just on fabric or your hand it doesn't seem like that would be enough moisture or body chemistry to do much of anything. If you already got the picture off the card and it looks OK you're probably fine. Congrats on what sounds like a great find.

 

[Piccell]

Dont have an answer to your question but can you tell me what type of bird this very rare bird is

It's either a Taimyr Gull, a Mongolian Gull, or a Lesser Black-backedXHerring Gull hybrid -- the first two would be 1st records for North America; the latter would be a first for the West as far as I know...

These three are very similar and I may never know which of the three it is, although I'm currently leaning towards Taimyr Gull...

Share the pic.

 

[480sparky]

Once they've been copied to another recording media, they're fine.

They were still only on that one SD card at the time the pee got onto it.

Wipe the card off, insert it into a card reader and offload the images. If the images survive, they're just fine. Then treat the card as suspect from then.

I'm more interested in how the bird managed to whiz on your SD card. I mean, did you take photos of it, then remove the card from the camera and put it in your hand, then reached out to pet it? ............. or what?

 

[jcdeboever]

If the pics are too yellow, you should be able to adjust the tint in post...

 

[Piccell]

If the pics are too yellow, you should be able to adjust the tint in post...

 

[dennybeall]

If you take the plastic cover off of the memory card all you will find is a solid block of plastic with some metallic contacts embedded in the plastic. There is nothing to be damaged by liquid.