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ATOMIC ENERGY RADIATION CONFERENCE

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  Statement by the Minister for National Development, Senator the Hon. WÃ¢ÂÂH. Spooner, ÃÂ,M.

The use of radiation to help industrial production,'sterilise

materials, preserve food, breed improved plants, and for other

technical purposes will be discussed at a conference in Sydney

next May,

The conference on the "Technological Use of Radiation" is

being organised by the Australian Atomic Energy Commission,, It

will be held at the University of New South Wales from May 23 to

25.

In announcing this, the Minister for National Development,

Senator Spooner, explained that radiation from radioactive

materials, such as cobalt 60, could be applied in many waypj: itor

instance -To preserve food;

To sterilize medical and pharmaceutical supplies;

To sterilize industrial raw materials;

To promote chemical changes which improved the qualities of  such products as plastics;

To control insect pests;

To breed new varieties of plants.

An example of a large scale industrial application m s  the use  of radiation to sterilize hair intended for carpet manufacture. This was being done at Dandenong in Victoria by the Westminister  Carpet Company.

The building of this plant had already led to a demand from  various industries which were thinking of applying radiation to  their own processes.

The Atomic Energy Commission would soon be able to supply  radio-active isotope sources prepared in its research reactor at  Lucas Heights, for industrial purposes. In addition, fuel elements  withdrawn from the reactor would be intensely radioactive. .Â«-1 special installation had been built at Lucas Heights to enable

these fuel, elements to be used for irradiating selected materials,  and a programme of research into food preservation was being  undertaken in collaboration with the C,S.I.R.0. This installation  would also be used for research into other applications.

When nuclear power stations came into operation in Australia,  large amounts of radiation would be available from the spent fuel,.  By getting to work at this early stage, the Commission hoped that  many organisations would be ready to take.advantage of the

opportunity of applying radiation to their own processes. It would  also be an advantage to the power industry to have outlets for the  radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power stations.

Great possibilities were opening out for the economic  applications of radiation, Senator Spooner said, and the conference  would explore these, with special reference to Australian needs.  Barticipants from overseas as well as from various Australian

organisations were expected to attend.

The Secretary of the conference is Dr, J.G, CLOUSTON of the  Commission’s research staff. Dr, CLOUSTON has been attached for  some time to the Technological Irradiation Group of the United  Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at Wantage near Harwell. He is

returning to Australia early in March.

CANBERRA February k , I960 - P.M,

