Would workers in a food irradiation plant be exposed to hazardous radiation?
No. Irradiation facilities, including those used for food irradiation, are designed with several levels of safety redundancy to detect equipment malfunction and to protect personnel from accidental radiation exposure. All irradiation facilities must be licensed by national or state authorities to ensure their safety for the workers as well as for the environment. Regulations in all countries require such facilities to be inspected periodically to ensure compliance with the terms of the operating licenses. As a result of long experience in designing and operating similar types of irradiation facilities, the necessary precautions for worker safety in a food irradiation plant are well understood. In the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for regulating worker protection from all sources of ionizing radiation. Food irradiation plants that use cobalt or cesium as their radiation source must be licensed by the NRC or an appropriate state agency. The
