Maximum energy limit for X-rays - Codex or economics?
Peter Roberts1.
1Radiation Advisory Services, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
The Codex Recommended Standard for Irradiated Foods recommends that machine sources of X-rays operate at or below 5 MeV. The efficiency of X-ray production from an electron beam increases with the energy of the electron beam that is incident on the metal converter. Calculations show that a significant increase in the efficiency of X-ray production would be achieved using a maximum energy of 7.5 MeV for the electron beam while still producing a food product that is safe to consume.
The presentation will discuss briefly the background to the setting of the Codex Standard and the efficiency gains at higher energies. It is suggested that food irradiation legislation be harmonized to adopt a maximum of 7.5 MeV for X-ray production.
