Industrial Radiation

This is a broad category that covers all industrial applications of radiation - sterilization, food irradiation, industrial radiography, etc. It also covers human exposures from industrial radiation sources.

FAQs Developed by the HPS

The following FAQ has been developed by our topic editors for this category:

  HPS FAQ   Food Irradiation

Relevant HPS Web Pages

The following HPS Web page also addresses this category:

  PDF   Food Irradiation Fact Sheet

Questions Answered by HPS Experts

The following health physics questions have been answered by an expert and approved by our editors for inclusion in our "Ask the Experts" feature. Click on the question to see the answer.

Questions in this Category Are in the Following Subcategories:
  •  Food Irradiation
  •  Industrial Applications
  •  Industrial Exposures
  •  Industrial Radiography
  •  Miscellaneous
 
Food Irradiation
Q7989   –   Can radioactive material contaminate irradiated food?
 
Industrial Applications
Q4004   –   Sterilization of medical instruments
Q4263   –   Americium-241 uses and concerns
Q4406   –   Neutron moisture gauging survey instruments
Q4427   –   Dual-energy tomography
Q7167   –   Design of cobalt-60 exposure room
Q11028   –   Scatter radiation
Q12585   –   Hair inside gamma-sterilized, sealed package
 
Industrial Exposures
Q11618   –   X-ray fluorescence analyzer radiation exposure
Q12187   –   Depleted uranium risks from the Stafford, England, munitions factory fire
Q12847   –   X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer exposure to my fingers
Q13171   –   Requirements for using an x-ray materials analyzer
 
Industrial Radiography
Q8583   –   Safe distance from a radiography site
Q10901   –   Skin damage from radiography sources
Q12646   –   Skyshine—radiation scattered in air from an open-topped shield bunker
Q12958   –   For radiography, should a prime contractor have a radiation safety officer for oversight of a subcontractor?
 
Miscellaneous
Q13280   –   Safety measures for electron beam facilities

Other Useful Websites

The following websites may also be useful regarding food irradiation:

  External website   Food Irradiation – International Atomic Energy Agency
  External website   Food Irradiation – World Health Organization
  External website   Food Safety and Irradiation – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention