What is irradiation?

Welcome to irradiation.co.uk. This is an information website produced by Medical Pages .

Definition:

Irradiation is the term used to mean the process of something being treated with radiation. This might be a body or part of a body in medicine, or might be a sterilisation process for products or food.

What is radiation?

Many people are concerned about nuclear energy and have an understanding that nuclear power produces radiation. They are aware that radiation is dangerous, can kill or can cause cancers. However most people are not aware that the same sort of radiation can also be used medically to diagnose illnesses or cure people. Indeed radiation now is used all around us both to sterilise our food and products as well as to be used in some household items we rely on.

There are three basic sorts of radiation:

alpha particles (sometimes called alpha rays)

beta particles (sometimes called beta rays)

gamma rays