Nordion is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with facilities in Vancouver, British Columbia and Laval, Quebec.

[4] Founded in 1946,[5] originally the radium sales department of Eldorado Mining and Refining Ltd., the division developed one of the first radiotherapy units that used the radioisotope cobalt-60 to destroy cancerous tumours.

As a result, in 1951, Eldorado established a commercial products division (CPD) to manage the isotope business, especially cobalt-60 used in cancer treatment.

Customers use Nordion's gamma-sterilization technologies to sterilize medical surgical supplies and devices, as well as certain consumer products, such as food and cosmetics.

Nordion supplies cobalt-60,[2] the isotope that produces the gamma radiation required to destroy harmful micro-organisms.