title: Destruction of Bacillus anthracis strain Sterne 34F2 spores in postal envelopes by exposure to electron beam irradiation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the irradiation dose necessary to reduce the populations of Bacillus anthracis spores in a dry medium in postal envelopes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bacillus anthracis Sterne 34F2 spores were dispersed in non-fat dry milk and then placed into standard business postal envelopes. The spores were treated with a sequence of irradiation doses to determine the decimal reduction value (D10) in kiloGrays (kGy). The average D10 value was 3.35 +/- 0.02 kGy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An irradiation dose of 40.2 kGy would be required to result in a process equivalent to the thermal canning process (12 D10 reduction) to eliminate Clostridium botulinum spores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Irradiation is an effective means of reducing or eliminating B. anthracis spores in a dry medium in postal envelopes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, 207 Science I, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Niebuhr
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dickson
mesh_terms: D000881:Anthrax / Q000517:prevention & control; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D011177:Postal Service; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000528:radiation effects