RE: rad outreach programs

[Free Spirit <FRANK@rover.bsd.UCHICAGO.EDU>]

>On Tue, 4 Oct 1994, Free Spirit wrote:
>> 
>> 	I know in the 50's radiation sterilization of food was all the rage.
>> 	(The armed forces wanted to do it to get around having to refrigerate
>> 	stuff.) I seem to remember some records here showing the half life
>> 	of irradiated cheese... (and I thought jalapina chedder was hot cheese.)
>
>Unless they were using neutron irradiation, I think you mean SHELF LIFE 
>as opposed to half life.

	No, although we were using electron radiation, there was enough
	activation by gamma-N to produce Isotopes of Carbon and Oxygen.
	Irradiation was at 30 MeV, so that it was WELL above the thresholds
	for the activation of Carbon and Oxygen. ARCO, (the predecessor of
	Siemens therapy division,) even made a really wierd linac, (the
	klystron providing the rf power and the linac itself were one
	unit,) specifically aimed at that industry.