Salt samples of two different mineralogical compositions were subjected to 60Co-γ-irradiation under an air-atmosphere. The resulting gaseous products were analysed from the gas phase above the salt. Additionally, the salt was subsequently heated up to 300 °C in order to liberate adsorbed, less volatile, and polar compounds. The gases CO2, CO, N2O, H2S, SO2, and Cl2 were identified whereas H2 was notably absent. The influence of various parameters, i. e. the total absorbed dose, the dose rate, and the temperature, on the radiolytic gas production was studied in some detail, increasing dose leads to increasing yields in CO2 and N2O. Carbon monoxide is radiolytically destroyed. Since CO2 and CO occur naturally in rock salt, they desorb thermally to some extent during the irradiation. The dose rate does not affect the yields, while the temperature during irradiation has a big effect on the radiolytic CO2 yields. At 250 °C and a radiation dose of 1×106 Gy a maximum CO2 yield of 70 mg gas per kg irradiated salt was observed. Upon heating the sample to 300 °C for 30 min. 47 mg per kg salt are additionally released.