The Science of Sterilization: Heat, Radiation, Chemicals, and Plasma

Chat with Greg Fridman · Mar 19, 2026 · 18m

Sterilization is fundamental to modern medicine, but most people don’t realize how complex it really is.

In this episode, I break down how sterilization actually works and where different technologies succeed or fail.

We discuss:

• What sterilization really means (and how it differs from disinfection)

• Heat sterilization and autoclaves

• Chemical sterilants like ethylene oxide and hydrogen peroxide

• Radiation methods including gamma and electron beam

• Plasma-based sterilization technologies

• Why device geometry, packaging, and materials matter

• Regulatory validation and sterility…