Compact Disc’s “Indestructibility”: Myth and Maybe

Examines recent studies of maximum expected disc life and the implications for archive storage on CD‐ROM. Discusses the manufacture and structure of compact discs, the phenomenon of disc rot, how discs can be ruined in use, and some actions which can reduce the risk of damage to compact discs. Concludes that when CD becomes a widespread archival medium, they will have to be treated as carefully as other media, although the problem of disc rot is beyond the purchasers′control.