Does the reader know that most medical products in use are sterilized by nuclear radiation?
One property of ionizing radiation emitted by radionuclides is that it inhibits cell reproduction and thus causes the death of microorganisms, insects and in general any living being if the applied radiation dose is high enough. This biocidal effect of radiation has many practical applications, but the most important one in terms of human health is to sterilize frequently used clinical and surgical products that must be kept highly aseptic, for example gloves, syringes, gauzes, probes, cannulas, pipettes, containers, etc., and in general most disposable products. The advantage of this technique is the penetrating power of gamma radiation, such as the kind emitted by cobalt-60, which can sterilize products at relatively low doses (25 kGy) once they are packaged and ready for delivery, which prevents any possibility of recontamination due to manipulation prior to use. This is also important from an economic point of view, as products can be manufactured in normal environments instead of
Related Questions
- If I have dual qualifications such as a Medical Imaging Technologist and a Nuclear Medicine Technologist, do I need to pay two registration fees?
- When can a technologist (for example, a nuclear medicine technologist) be appointed as the radiation safety officer (RSO) for a medical use license?
- Does the reader know that most medical products in use are sterilized by nuclear radiation?
