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How can gamma radiation sterilize disposable medical supplies?

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detector output connected to a measuring circuit — radiation measurement Figure 1: (A) A simple equivalent circuit for the development of a voltage pulse at the output of a detector. R represents the resistance and C the capacitance of the circuit; V(t) is the time (t)-dependent voltage produced. (B) A representative current pulse due to the interaction of a single quantum in the detector. The total charge Q is obtained by integrating the area of the current, i(t), over the collection time, t_c. (C) The resulting voltage pulse that is developed across the circuit of (A) for the case of a long circuit time constant. The amplitude (V_max) of the pulse is equal to the charge Q divided by the capacitance C.

Gamma radiation is used to sterilize disposable medical supplies—such as syringes, blood transfusion kits, and hospital gowns—by leveraging its properties as a form of ionizing radiation.12

Because gamma rays possess high energy and significant penetrating power, they are effective at killing microorganisms that cause contamination. This process is particularly valuable for items that cannot be sanitized through conventional methods like boiling.1

In industrial radiation processing, these rays are typically emitted by radioisotopes such as cobalt-60 or cesium-137. To ensure safety, the radiation source is encapsulated in a double layer of stainless steel, which prevents the escape of radioactive material into the environment. Importantly, exposure to this radiation does not induce radioactivity in the medical supplies themselves, making the technique a safe and efficient method for ensuring the sterility of healthcare products.2