# Is Irradiation More Effective Than Sterilization?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irradiation-more-effective-than-sterilization/581188>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 8, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irradiation-more-effective-than-sterilization/581188 "2011-05-08T20:18:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irradiation-more-effective-than-sterilization/581188/21 "2011-05-11T04:18:45Z")

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> [@](#):
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> I have read the links posted here, and am curious: what would have happened if in both of these accidents the experimenter had not immediately removed the neutron reflector? Would there have been a meltdown, a nuclear explosion, or what?

Certainly not an explosion: It takes a lot of hard work to get a critical mass to explode. A meltdown is plausible, though, and it’d certainly release a lot of radiation to anyone nearby.

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