Electron beam irradiators are used for sterilization and specialized polymer generation/combination. These devices are rated in MeV range and emit astounding amounts of radiation/charged particles.

Anyone even entering the same room as the active device would likely receive a fatal dose nearly instantly. The radiation is so intense, the air itself is ionized to the point it glows blue (seen clearly at timestamp 1:08 in the video below). It’s was an effect seen above the Chernobyl reactor right after it’s explosion.

These devices are placed in special hardened ‘radiation bunkers’ with winding shielded corridors that keep operators safely away from any straight-line exposure to radiation sources. Still, there is a long history of operators that have been seriously injured and killed by huge amounts of radiation when they ignored safety protocols and circumvented safety devices to enter the rooms.

Someone decided to see what it looked like inside an active electron beam irradiator by putting a GoPro camera through the device. To even survive, it was encased in a 3/8″ lead case with a 1/2″ thick 50% lead glass window – with an additional 1/4″ lead plate above the camera. Even with all that shielding, it completely overwhelmed the CCD in the Gopro. As it rounds the final corner at around 1:00, you can see charged particles showing up as static on the video. It’s a terrifying ride through a lethal radiation dose. Give it a watch.