[Induced radioactivity in irradiated foods by X ray or gamma ray].

Abstract

In the course of the archival studies on safety of irradiated foods by the US Army, experimental records conducted by Glass & Smith, and Kruger & Wilson were investigated, based on our experimental experience. Food irradiation by Co-60 or 4 approximately 24MeV X ray can induce small amount of radioactivity in the foods. The principal mechanisms of the nuclear reactions are (gamma, n). The resulting nuclear products found in irradiated target solutions were Ba-135m, Pb-204m, Hg-199m, Ag-107m,Ag-109m, Cd-111m,Cd-113m, Sn-117m, Sn-119m, Sr-87m, Nb-93m, In113m, In-115m, Te-123m, Te-125m, Lu-178m Hf-160m by the (gamma, n) reaction. The total radio-activities in beef, bacon, shrimp, chicken, and green beans were counted at 60 days after irradiation by Cs-137, Co-60, and fuel element. The activities more than background were found in irradiated bacon and beef by Co-60. and activities were found in most foods when foods were irradiated by high energy X ray and the fuel element. The results were understood as the neutron activation by (gamma, n) or (n, gamma) reaction. Therefore, high energy X ray and spent fuel element were not used for food irradiation. As the results of this study Co-60 has been used with small amount of induced radioactivity in food.