National

Regional

Taiwan, HK, Macao

Special Coverage

Focus

Society

Profiles

Radiation concerns eased in Henan

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-08-25 15:18

After radiation machinery in a factory in Qi county of Central China's Henan province, was repaired, Ye Min, vice director of the Safety Division of the Ministry of Environmental Protection has declared the area safe, reported Xinhua Monday.

On June 7, a Cobalt-60 radioactive machine broke while workers of the Limin Food Irradiation Factory were using it to sterilize peppers. When the machine could not be immediately fixed, the factory was emptied and the ministry sent in a team of radiologist specialists to ensure a radiation spill would not put workers at risk. After monitoring the area, the team found no radiation leak, and no human injuries were reported.

Cobalt-60 is used as a part of a radiation treatment to sterilize foods. The process is also referred to as cold pasteurization.