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Re: Food Irradiation Alert - Sierra Club of Canada
November 29, 2002
Davis, CA
According to the proclamation of the Sierra Club of Canada, these are the reasons to reject food irradiation:
*** Chemical by-products called "unique radiolytic products" (URPs) are created in foods by irradiation. Some scientific studies carried out on URPs link serious health risks with the consumption of irradiated foods.
<<<< ACTUALLY, THE QUANTITY OF URPs IS MINISCULE AND THEIR POSSIBLE TOXICITY IS IMMAGINARY. THE ONLY STUDIES THAT SHOWED HEALTH EFFECTS ARE THOSE WHERE THE IRRADIATION LEVELS ARE SO HIGH AS TO DESTROY NUTRIENTS. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN WITH CURRENT PROCEDURES.
*** Irradiated foods are less nutritious than fresh foods because radiation damages some vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids.
<<<< USING THE APPROVED PROCEDURES THERE IS LITTLE LOSS OF NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND NO DETECTABLE CHANGE IN FLAVOR OR APPEARANCE. See http://www.eatright.org/adap0200.html which is the Position Statement on Food Irradiation of the American Dietetic Association. It debunks this objection with hard facts and references.
***Irradiation has been hailed as an alternative to pesticides...
<<<< IRRADIATION AFTER HARVEST WILL NOT PREVENT DESTRUCTION OF PRODUCE BY PESTS BEFORE THE HARVEST! PESTICIDE USE IS A SEPARATE ISSUE.
*** Irradiation will not replace many additives commonly used in processed foods. In fact, some additives need to be used in combination with irradiation to control undesirable side-effects.
<<<< IRRADIATION KILLS PATHOGENS AND BUGS; IT IS NOT AN ADDITIVE.
>>>>
*** Irradiation of poultry is being proposed as a means for preventing salmonella food poisoning. In fact, less than 20% of salmonella poisoning cases can be traced back to poultry. A more effective solution is education about proper storage, handling and cooking of all foods which may carry the salmonella bacteria.
<<<< MANY THOUSAND ARE SICKENED AND MANY DIE ANNUALLY IN THE U.S. FROM SALMONELLA POISONING BECAUSE IT NOT POSSIBLE TO INSURE PERFECT COOKING, STORAGE AND HANDLING OF MEATS. IRRADIATION OF ALL MEATS WOULD PROVIDE A SYSTEMATIC MEANS OF PREVENTING THESE POISONINGS.
*** Irradiation can actually cause food poisoning since treated foods may be contaminated but appear fresh. Microorganisms which normally cause meat to look or smell spoiled may be killed by irradiation, yet hardier bacteria, such as the one causing botulism food poisoning, may survive. Some organisms may even mutate when irradiated, forming new, more radiation-resistant strains.
<<<< WOW! IT TAKES A BIG IMAGINATION TO INVENT AND BELIEVE THIS OBJECTION!!!
>>>>
*** Aflatoxin is a toxic and carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substance produced by a bacteria which inhabits damp grains, beans and nuts. Aflatoxin poisoning is a major cause of death in Asia and Africa. Irradiation of this bacteria actually causes it to produce more aflatoxin.
<<<< THIS IS IRRELEVANT. IRRADIATION WILL NOT DESTROY AFLATOXIN ONCE IT IS PRODUCED, AND NO ONE IS PROPOSING IRRADIATION OF PEANUTS.
>>>>
*** Increased use of food irradiation will increase occupational and environmental hazards. The level of gamma radiation inside an operating irradiation facility is anywhere from ten to hundreds of times the level that would kill a human in a single short exposure. The gamma source for irradiation must be replaced regularly, so the risk of transportation accidents increases with time. Spent gamma sources also become radioactive waste, and there is still no acceptable method of long-term radioactive waste management.
<<<< CURRENT FACILITY SAFETY AND THE HANDLING AND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS ARE SOUND AND RADIATION SAFETY IN THE U.S. AND CANADA HAS HAD AN OUTSTANDING RECORD. THE PUBLIC IS NOT AT RISK FROM IRRADIATION, BUT IT IS AT RISK FROM FOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS.
THE TRUTH IS THAT THOUSANDS OF LIVES WOULD BE SAVED AND CONSIDERABLE SUFFERING WOULD BE AVOIDED BY IRRADIATION OF FRESH MEATS, AND THERE ARE FEW DISADVANTAGES THAT COMPARE WITH THE IMPROVED FOOD SAFETY AFFORDED BY FOOD IRRADIATION ("COLD PASTEURIZATION").
Otto
**********************************************
Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
Center for Health & the Environment
(Street Address: Bldg. 3792, Old Davis Road)
University of California, Davis, CA 95616
E-Mail: ograabe@ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 752-7754 FAX: (530) 758-6140
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