The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans to hold a public meeting on the license application in Honolulu within 60 days. The commission also announced the opportunity for the public to request a hearing on Pa'ina's application.

Irradiators use X-rays to penetrate food and packaging to kill fruit flies and other insects in export products, including produce. The process proposed by Pa'ina Hawaii involves loading materials to be irradiated into a stainless-steel chamber, then lowering it into a water-filled pool where they are exposed to radiation, the commission said.

Pa'ina also plans to irradiate cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, conduct research and development, and irradiate a wide range of other materials as approved by the commission.

Currently, the only irradiator used to process Hawai'i produce for export is Hawai'i Pride LLC in Kea'au on the Big Island. The state Department of Agriculture has encouraged private operators to build a commercial-scale irradiator near Honolulu International Airport to give Hawai'i farmers further opportunity to market their produce on the Mainland.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews irradiator applications to determine whether the proposed facility's design and operating procedures are sufficient to protect the health and safety of workers and the public. The commission also reviews the adequacy of emergency plans and physical security for the facility.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration determines which products for human consumption may be safely irradiated, and Pa'ina must also comply with all applicable federal, state and city regulations.

A notice of the commission's receipt of the application and the opportunity to request a hearing will be published in the Federal Register.

Petitions may be filed within 60 days of publication by writing to: Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001 (Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff).

Notices in advance of the public meeting will be published in the Federal Register and in newspapers and announced on the Web site www.nrc.gov.

For more information, write to: Jack Whitten, Chief, Nuclear Materials Licensing Branch, Region IV, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, TX 76011.

Whitten also can be reached at (817) 860-8197 or by e-mail at jew1@nrc.gov.

Correction: Irradiators use X-rays to penetrate food and packaging to kill fruit flies and other insects in export products, including produce. A previous version of this story contained incorrect information.