Cesium Irradiator Replacement Project
Replacing your cesium irradiator with a non-radioisotopic alternative offers your facility an opportunity to decrease costs while permanently reducing security risks.
Launched in 2014, the Cesium Irradiator Replacement Project (CIRP) is a program offered through the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Radiological Security (ORS) to convert domestic users of radioisotopic (cesium-137 or cobalt-60) based irradiators to viable, non-radioisotopic alternatives.
Radioisotopes, like Cesium-137 or Cobalt-60, are common radionuclides with a relatively long half-life that emit gamma radiation during decay. The potential effects on human health can include:
- Skin burns from exposure
- Ionizing radiation exposure to internal tissue and organs, through exposure, ingestion, or inhalation
- Malignant tumors
- Shortened life span
In addition, the use of radioisotopic irradiators require strict security, licensing, and regulatory compliance. Switching to a non-cesium 137 or cobalt-60 irradiator can save your facility large costs associated with:
- High Insurance premiums
- Site preparation
- Staff background checks
- High service costs
- Annual Inspections
- Annual recalibrations
- Transportation costs
CIRP provides qualified sites, who are interested in making the switch, with a financial incentive towards the purchase price of a new non-radioisotopic device. In addition, they will also remove and dispose the irradiator.
Qualified participants can receive:
- Removal and disposal of the radioisotopic irradiator, saving the facility approximately $100-200k per irradiator.
- Financial payment, up to 50% or $135k, of the purchase price towards the purchase of a new non-radioisotopic system.
The site is responsible for:
- Evaluating and selecting a replacement irradiator.
- The remaining costs associated with the purchase of a new irradiator
- Shipping, rigging, and installation
- Associated warranty/maintenance costs
- Training
The whole process can take approximately 10-12 months
- Fill out the application, which includes getting a quote for an x-ray irradiator
- CIRP reaches out regarding funding approval
- Place your order with the selected company
- X-ray irradiator is delivered and installed
- CIRP releases 50% funds
- Coordinate removal of radioisotopic irradiator with CIRP
- CIRP releases remaining funds
For further information on the Cesium Irradiator Replacement Project and to discuss whether and how the Project could work for your site, please contact ORS at [email protected]
Replacement of Cesium Irradiators with Alternative Technologies.
read more ›Comparable human reconstitution following Cesium-137 versus X-ray irradiation preconditioning in immunodeficient NOG mice
read more ›Comparison of gamma and x-ray irradiation for myeloablation and establishment of normal and autoimmune syngeneic bone marrow chimeras
read more ›A Comparison of Cs-137 γ Rays and 320-kV X-Rays in a Mouse Bone Marrow Transplantation Model
read more ›We performed an analysis of the current line of x-ray research irradiators compared to the CsCl research irradiators against four performance parameters (dose rate, field size, depth-dose, and RBE) and found that the x-ray irradiators provided equivalent performance in terms of dose rate, irradiation field size, and uniformity over the field.
Cesium Chloride Irradiator Replacement Study:
Replacement Costs and Alternative Technologies

