Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom is continuing to sterilise medical products to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic , having sterilised over 20.8 million medical masks as of May 15, as well as 292,500 portable lab kits to test for COVID-19, according to a company statement.
It said that the sterilisation is being carried out by Rosatom subsidiary Sterion JSC, which has concluded a contract with Delrus to sterilise more than 58 million masks. The company transitioned from a two-shift to a round the clock three-shift work schedule to hike its capacity and process up to 10 million masks per week.
Sterion sterilises medical supplies using specialised equipment manufactured by Rosatom’s other enterprises, its main tool being the UEL 10 kW linear electron accelerator. Sterilisation up to a sterility assurance level (SAL) of 10−6 is achieved by means of targeting the medical kits, pre-loaded onto a conveyor belt, with a beam of accelerated electrons. This method allows for the safe sterilisation of medical supplies without the need to unpack them from the shipping containers provided by manufacturers.
After being processed with a stream of accelerated electrons, the supplies immediately become usable and do not require degassing or any other additional actions before actual use. One box containing 980 masks can be processed in 37 seconds.
Other sister subsidiaries, JSC Karpov NIFHI and JSC NIITFA, are also continuing to sterilise medical supplies, the statement added.
