Abstract
THERE have been several studies of the effects of ultraviolet light on DDT1–5 but little is known of the chemical effects of ionizing radiation on the pesticides. In the light of the availability of long lived radioisotopes such as 60Co and 137Cs, by-products of the nuclear power industry, and of the current concern about pollution of lakes and rivers by persistent pesticides, we undertook to study the feasibility of dechlorinating DDT solutions by exposure to 60Co γ-rays. Because of the low efficiency with which ionizing radiation absorbed by materials is converted into chemical energy6, however, it is evident that to be of economic importance, any radiation-initiated process must involve a chemical chain mechanism.
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SHERMAN, W., EVANS, R., NESYTO, E. et al. Dechlorination of DDT in Solution by Ionizing Radiation. Nature 232, 118–119 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/232118a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/232118a0
