The potential and problems of bulk irradiation in the Philippines

Radiation as a processing tool has been adopted in the U.S. and other developed countries. Radiation processing of products on a commercial scale is feasible in the Philippines. A multi-purpose irradiation facility can provide the following services: 1) sterilization of medical and other products; 2) readily available supply of adequately sterilized disposables; 3) pasteurization of food and disinfestation of grains, tobacco, and lumber; 4) improvement in the quality of plywood, veneer and electric cable products; 5) treatment of effluents of leather, mining and textile industries; and 6) development of packaging materials and new chemicals. The Philippines has approximately 750 government and private hospitals with a total bed capacity of 45,000. Those hospitals require numerous sterile medical supplies for daily use and most of these medical products and devices are made of heat-sensitive thermoplastics which cannot be steam sterilized, thus radiation sterilization could be used instead. Some medical products that can be subjected to radiation sterilization are: 1) plastic administration sets; 2) disposable syringes and needles; 3) plastic containers and packaging materials; 4) talcum powder; 5) absorbent cotton; 6) sutures; and 7) other products such as catheters, gloves, petri dishes, etc. Food irradiation as a technique of food preservation utilizes ionizing radiation from large radiation sources. Irradiation can extend the market life of fresh fruits such as bananas, papayas and mangoes by controlling the rate of ripening. Vegetable crops like onion, ginger and garlic can also be irradiated to extend their shelf life. A dose of 15-50 Kr can control weevil and beetles infestation of grains and other seeds during the post harvest storage. Still there are problems existing, the public acceptance of irradiated food and the non existence of international trade of irradiated food