Irradiación de diferentes materiales (agujas, mascarillas y batas) usados en el área de la medicina con la fuente radiactiva de uranio-238 a diferentes dosis para determinar los efectos generados

Abstract

The aim of this research work was to irradiate materials used in the medical field (masks, gowns, and needles) with a source of Uranium-238, to observe the respective microbiological changes that may occur. The ISO 11137-1 technique, the OAS irradiation manual "Guidelines for industrial radiation sterilization of disposable medical devices (cobalt-60 gamma irradiation)", and Solid Works software were used to create an experimental design that meets the required needs. The samples were irradiated in three-time fractions (20, 40, 60 minutes), and the microbiological change was verified by means of a pre- and post-microbiological count using the surface seeding technique for needles and surface contact for masks and gowns, obtaining the following results: In needles for the first twenty minutes there was a reduction of 13.21%, after the next twenty minutes the reduction was 7.41% and finally it was 14.71%. Gowns had a reduction of 11.43% in the first twenty minutes, followed by a reduction of 80.56% and finally after one hour it was 79.41%. The masks were reduced by 2.86% in the first twenty minutes, then by 74.70% and finally by 92.27%, concluding that the radioactive source did not sterilize or reduce microorganisms to the levels permitted by ISO, but the viability of this research in the field of radiation can be demonstrated for subsequent work, and it is also recommended that the cleanliness of the