` y

FOR PRESS:

N.D. 78 STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT THE HON. D.E. FAIRBAIRN, D.F.C., M.P.

NEW VENTURE IN INDUSTRIAL RADIATION RESEARCH

In a new Government—industry research link, the

Australian Atomic Energy Commission and Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand Limited have built a

plant for research on chemical processing using radiation from radioisotopes. The plant is at the Commission's Research

Establishment at Lucas Heights, near Sydney and its initial capital cost is being met by ICIANZ, but it will be owned by

the Commission.

' The Minister for National Development, Mr David Fairbairn, who announced this at Lucas Heights today, said that on

completion of construction ICIANZ would use it jointly with the AAEC under a seven—year agreement, to produce pilot—scale

quantities of various products discovered at the company's own radiation research laboratory at Ascot Vale, Victoria. ICIANZ would also undertake other research into the use of radiation at

the plant.

Radioactive cobalt manufactured in the Commission's

reactor HIFAR, will be used in the irradiator.

The agreement requires the Commission to provide and

maintain the radioactive source, the safety equipment,.and to be

responsible for safety.

The Commission, which has been investigating the

technological use of large radiation sources for several years,

has undertaken its own programme of research in radiation chemistry, food irradiation and radiation sterilization of

medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. Use of the plant will be shared and it will be of substantial value to the AAEC for its

research projects in industrial irradiator design, the use of gamma radiation for chemical synthesis and sterilization, and to study the effects of radiation on materials used in nuclear reactors.

-2

The company has developed a series of complex polymers

at its Research Laboratories at Ascot Vale, using radiation from

cobalt supplied by the Commission and these promise to be of widespread use in medical research. One of the series — developed

in conjunction with the Monash University, Department of Medicine at Prince Henry Hospital, Melbourne — speeds the measurement of

protein hormones in serum. Further medical applications for this material are being explored. The company has been exporting trial

quantities to a number of countries, including U.S.A. and

West Germany.

Another major field of research which will be extended

at the new plant concerns the use of radiation for manufacturing ion exchange resins. In this field the company is working on

commercial development of the "SIROTHERM" process for water desalination, which has been discovered by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

The company's radiation research also includes

examination of possible new mineral refining techniques and other

uses, especially in the polymer field.

"I welcome this further instance of collaboration between

the Atomic Energy Commission and industry" Mr Fairbairn said.

"The use of large radiation sources for industrial processing is a

research field which has not been fully explored in other countries,

and there are opportunities for Australia to achieve valuable

original processes."

LUCAS HEIGHTS and CANBERRA

1st October, 1969.

BACKGROUND NOTE:

Mr Fairbairn released details of the Commission — Company

research project during the course of a tour of inspection at Lucas Heights. On the tour, he was accompanied by Mr Don Dobie,

the Liberal N.H.R. for Hughes, who is standing for the new

electorate of Cook, and Mr Carl Leddy, Liberal candidate for the electorate of Hughes in the October 25th elections.

