Sterilization of Medical Utensils and Cosmetics

Radiation sterilization of medical utensils and cosmetics utilizes X-ray and gamma ray to control the growth of microorganism or even kill them. Radioactive sources commonly used are cobalt-60 and cesium-137.

The advantages of using radiation for sterilization are:

1. X-ray and gamma ray are highly penetrating. They can evenly and thoroughly disinfect a large amount of materials in a very effective way;
2. The process is applied at room temperature, which is suitable for plastic products, organic materials and medicine which cannot endure high temperatures;
3. X-ray and gamma ray are electromagnetic waves, hence they leave no residual poisonous substances.