ABSTRACT
Sterilization of medical devices and products by ionizing radiation is rapidly becoming a mature technology. More healthcare product manufacturers are perceiving the savings caused by greater rapidity of processing; and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based restrictions on exposure to the traditional chemical sterilant, ethylene oxide, have been enough of an incentive to many other companies to switch their processing either to inhouse sterilizing or to the use of outside radiation sterilizing facilities. However, as the more dilatory companies catch up regarding this technology, others are pioneering in new methods of sterilizing. Alternative chemicals—for example, chlorine dioxideare being evaluated and other methods of sterilizing, such as plasma exposure, are being developed.
