Cobalt-60 Shortages, Tariff Pressure, and EtO Uncertainty: The Case for Sterilization Sovereignty

Approximately 50% of medical devices are sterilized by ethylene oxide. Another 40% by gamma irradiation, which depends on a cobalt-60 supply chain with a small number of global producers and no near-term capacity expansion. Add tariff pressure on imported sterilization services and imported sterilization equipment, and the case for treating sterilization as a strategic supply chain variable — rather than an outsourced commodity — has never been more concrete.