Commercial use of gamma radiation in the beekeeping industry
Author(s)
Michael A Z Hornitzky
Abstract
Gamma radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation and can be used as a means of sterilizing a wide range of products. Cobalt 60 (60Co), which is the source of gamma radiation used for industrial applications, is produced by bombarding cobalt 59 with neutrons in an atomic reactor. The gamma rays from the resulting product are deeply penetrating, yet have insufficient energy to break into the nucleus of an atom. Thus, while radioactive itself, 60Co cannot impart radioactivity to materials exposed to it.
