Other Applications of Radioisotopes

Beyond nuclear power (section 13.8.2), radiocarbon dating (section 13.8.1) and medicine (section 13.8.3), radioisotopes find a variety of further applications across other fields.

In agriculture and food preservation, produce is irradiated with gamma rays from cobalt-60 or caesium-137 to extend shelf life and reduce spoilage -- a real, working example of this being BARC's own irradiation plants for mangoes, onions and potatoes at Vashi (Navi Mumbai) and Lasalgaon (Nashik), noted elsewhere in this chapter. …