Fruits, meat, spices etc. are irradiated to kill organisms like
flies, bacteria, germs and whatsoever to prevent spoiling of food and
diseases for humans. I would guess that the doses delivered to food should
also kill things like anthrax - otherwise I would not see any use of it. We
know well, that the doses used in food irradiation does not degrade
cellulose in fruit and for instance fat in meat only insofar that very
sensitive gas-chromatographic instruments may detect the alkanes formed. All
these items are packed in clear plastic during irradiation. I do not expect
that irradiation could be done if the plastic would be
destroyed!!!
I
am quite sure, that much higher doses are used to sterilize medical
equipment, like tubes, syringes etc. Almost all of these one-way articles
are made of plastic. I do not expect that these articles are ruined by the
irradiation as well!!! As I have seen myself at such a sterilization plant,
card-paper boxes containing the goods are irradiated. Obviously people
handling these card-paper boxes have not claimed irritation
yet.
It
might be possible, that even higher doses are used for mail-irradiation and
the effects claimed really do occur, but then I have to draw the conclusion,
that food irradiation with its low doses will not destroy all those
organisms which cause diseases - so why is it then done?
Has anybody an answer to explain these
discrepancies?
Franz