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I IONIZING RADIATION 271 I IONIZING RADIATION TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION Material to be irradiated is moved remotely inside a shielded chamber (cave) in containers or pumped in a pipe past an electron beam, an irradiation device containing a specific gamma radiation source such as Co-60, or a mixed radiation source such as a spent nuclear reactor fuel element to chemically change the contents to less complex materials and gases. The irradiations start at room temperature and pressure. However, the material irradiated may be heated slightly by the absorption of radiation and pressure may increase from the production of radiolytic gases. If the absorbed dose is sufficient to destroy the agent in the containers, then the containers can be sampled and either irradiated again or disposed of conventionally. DEVELOPMENT STATUS Techniques such as those needed for agent destruction axe not developed. Irradiation techniques for much lower dose rates than those required by the Army's Chemical Weapons Disposal Program have been developed in the food preservation industry and for the production of specialty polymers. A considerable development effort would be required to obtain 99.9999 percent destruction of agent, including the certification that the containers axe safe for direct handling. APPLICATIONS TO CHEMICAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION There axe no reports in the technical literature indicating that full destruction of chemical agent has been achieved with ionizing radiation. Certain surrogates such as carbon tetrachloride, chloromethane, trichloroethylene, and hexachloroethane, have been irradiated with 9 MeV X-rays or 700 keV gamma rays to doses of 1,400 tads. In general, these
