ADVANCEMENTS IN INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS FOR RADIATION PROCESSING

Three subcommittees of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) are developing standards on various aspects of radiation proces sing. subcommittee E10.01 ''Dosimetry for Radiation Processing'' has p ublished 9 standards on how to select and calibrate dosimeters, where to put them, how many to use, and how to use individual types of dosim eter systems. The group is also developing standards on how to use gam ma, electron beam, and x-ray facilities for radiation processing, and a standard on how to treat dose uncertainties. Efforts are underway to promote inclusion of these standards into procedures now being develo ped by government agencies and by international groUps such as the Uni ted Nations' International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation (ICG FI) in order co harmonize regulations and help avoid trade barriers. S ubcommittee F10.10 ''Food Processing and Packaging'' has completed sta ndards on good irradiation practices for meat and poultry and for fres h fruits, and is developing similar standards for the irradiation of s eafood and spices. These food-related standards are based on practices previously published by ICGFI.Subcommittee E10.07 on ''Radiation Dosi metry for Radiation Effects on Materials and Devices'' principally dev elops standards for determining doses for radiation hardness testing o f electronics. Some, including their standards on the Fricke and TLD d osimetry systems are equally useful in other radiation processing appl ications.