[ RadSafe ] Irradiation underused to fight E. coli in foods

[franz.schoenhofer at chello.at]

Maury,

Did you think of what consequences your proposal have? 

Still nobody knows in Germany what caused the outbrake of this disease. Cucumbers were found to be innocernt, but in the meantime the hysteria has led to that only in Vienna 700 000 (sevenhundred thousand) cucumbers had to be discarded, because they could not be sold. Then it became known, that the Spanish cucumbers are not the culprit. On the market I then found cucumbers from Belgium, Netherlands, which I never noticed during the last decades. Is it frivulous to think that these rumors and hysteria might have been steered from outside and originate in competition? (One headline in a low-level newspaper: "Killer cucumber".) 

Next culprit were sprouts. Again they were found not to contain any dangerous E. coli. 

So, please, what kind of food do you want to irradiate, if you do not even know, where to find any dangerous bacteria. I hope you do not advocate to set up irradiation facilities in every little village, to irradiate all produce before being consumed or sold. 

The death toll in Germany seems to be between ten and 20 people, still now knowing the exact reason. How many people die every day in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Irak, Northern Africa etc. ? And they are killed deliberately. 

Please keep also in mind, that E. coli is a really useful bacterium, which keeps the balance in the intestine. Only some strains or mutations are dangerous. 

Best regards,

Franz


---- Maury <maurysis at peoplepc.com> schrieb:
> Irradiation underused to fight E. coli in foods
> 
> Posted on June 6, 2011 at 3:53pm
> 
> WASHINGTON (AP) — Zapping salad fixings with just a bit of radiation can 
> kill dangerous E. coli and other bacteria — and food safety experts say 
> Europe's massive outbreak shows wary consumers should give the 
> long-approved step a chance.
> ______________
> 
> 
> http://www.theblaze.com/the-wire/7352560/irradiation-underused-to-fight-e-coli-in-foods/
> 
> 
> Seems likely that all concerned with radiation safety can take some 
> pride in this recognition of what could be achieved with irradiated foods
> Best,
> Maury&Dog [MaurySiskel maurysis at peoplepc.com]
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--
Franz Schoenhofer, PhD, MinRat
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
mobile: ++43 699 1706 1227