To reduce contamination by iron in a photographic element treated with a biodegradable bleaching agent by including a step to fix a bleached element with a fixing compsn., containing a fixing agent and at least a specified molar amount of polycarboxylic acid or its salt.
A photographic silver halide material, exposed according to an image and subjected to color developing treatment, is bleached by using a bleaching compsn. as a bleaching agent containing an iron chelate of biodegradable aminopolycarboxylic acid chelate ligands and at least 0.008 mol/l polyphosphonic acid or phosphinic acid or salts of these in the form of noncomplex state. Then the bleached and color developed photographic silver halide material is fixed with a fixing compsn., containing a fixing agent and at least 0.01 mol/l polycarboxylic acid or its salt. By treating the photographic silver halide material of these steps, iron contamination of the photographic element can be reduced or removed.
ALAINE M GLAY
DAVID G FOSTER
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