Recent status on cobalt-60 gamma ray radiation sources production and its application in China

This paper describes the status of Co-60 γ ray radiation sources and their application in China. At present, the production capacity of Co-60 γ ray radiation sources in China is about 11.1 PBq (0.3 MCi) per year. 5 years later, it is increased to 37 PBq (1 MCi) per year. The radioactivity of each source is 370 TBq - 740 TBq (1000-2000 Ci). There are over 150 Co-60 γ ray radiation facilities with total design capacity of over 370 PBq (10 MCi) and practical capacity of about 92.5 PBq (2.5 MCi) in operation. The number of Co-60 γ ray radiation facilities with practical capacity of over 3.7 PBq (0.1 MCi) is 14. The main applications of the Co-60 γ ray sources are radiation crosslinking, radiation sterilization of disposable medical supplies and food irradiation. The prospects for Co-60 γ ray radiation source application in China are good. (author)