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Re: Article: Approval of Irradiated Sweet Potatoes Has Critics Steamed
Hawaii, also has some very strict rules on the use of pesticides. Since
they limit the use of pesticides, there is a large contingent of USDA folks
in Hawaii trying to stop the export of pests to the US mainland. USDA has
been running a national fruit fly irradiation program over in Hawaii for
some time.
Dean Chaney
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Jacobus" <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vargo@physicist.net>; "'John R Johnson'" <idias@interchange.ubc.ca>;
"'radsafe'" <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>; "'know_nukes'"
<know_nukes@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "'Don Morrison (CR)'" <morrisond@AECL.CA>; "'Paul Unrau'"
<punrau@cosray.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 5:36 AM
Subject: RE: Article: Approval of Irradiated Sweet Potatoes Has Critics
Steamed
> From the article, the problem is the importation of
> two non-native agricultural pests on to the mainland;
> the West Indian sweet potato weevil,
> http://www.fftc.agnet.org/library/article/eb493b.html,
>
> and the sweet potato stem borer (also known in
> entomology circles as the sweet potato vine borer.)
>
> I believe that both California and Hawaii have strick
> enforcement on the importation of plants to prevent
> non-native pests.
>
> --- "George J. Vargo" <vargo@physicist.net> wrote:
> > John, et al.,
> >
> > I thought that the irradiation of tubers was to
> > prevent premature sprouting
> > and enhance shelf life, as opposed to a pesticidal
> > endpoint. As I recall,
> > Canada has significant experience with irradiated
> > white potatoes in
> > commerce. Please confirm or disabuse me of that
> > notion.
> >
> > A quick glance at Eichholz, Radioisotope Engineering
> > (Marcel Dekker, 1972)
> > (BTW-- that was a really great graduate course of
> > the same title that I
> > later took from him at GT), the dose to extend shelf
> > life is relatively low
> > and heavily dependent on water content. While
> > tubers were not specifically
> > listed in Table 6.10, mangos are listed as having a
> > target dose of 0.025
> > Mrad for extended storage life. Strawberries and
> > oranges are listed as
> > requiring 0.2 Mrad for shelf-life extension.
> >
> > George J. Vargo, Ph.D., CHP
> > Senior Scientist
> > MJW Corporation
> > http://www.mjwcorp.com
> > 610-925-3377
> > 610-925-5545 (fax)
> > vargo@physicist.net
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
> > [mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu] On Behalf
> > Of John R Johnson
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 7:39 PM
> > To: John Jacobus; radsafe; know_nukes
> > Cc: Don Morrison (CR); Paul Unrau
> > Subject: RE: Article: Approval of Irradiated Sweet
> > Potatoes Has Critics
> > Steamed
> >
> >
> > Radsafers, Don and Paul
> >
> > Is there any information on what the pests do to
> > these "spuds". Is the taste
> > changed?
> >
> > I ask this because many years ago I took part in a
> > test at the Chalk River
> > Nuclear Labs. The test was to see if high doses of
> > radiation would improve
> > the taste of red wines. If I recall correctly,
> > "horrible" wine was made
> > "drinkable" if the doses were not too high. I don't
> > recall the doses but the
> > wines were irradiated with Co-60.
> >
> > _________________
> > John R Johnson, Ph.D.
> > *****
> > President, IDIAS, Inc
> > 4535 West 9-Th Ave
> > Vancouver B. C.
> > V6R 2E2
> > (604) 222-9840
> > idias@interchange.ubc.ca
> > *****
> > or most mornings
> > Consultant in Radiation Protection
> > TRIUMF
> > 4004 Wesbrook Mall
> > Vancouver B. C.
> > V6R 2E2
> > (604) 222-1047 Ext. 6610
> > Fax: (604) 222-7309
> > johnsjr@triumf.ca
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
> > [mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu]On Behalf
> > Of John Jacobus
> > Sent: March 9, 2004 1:34 PM
> > To: radsafe; know_nukes
> > Subject: Article: Approval of Irradiated Sweet
> > Potatoes Has Critics Steamed
> >
> >
> > This appeared in today's Washington Post, and I
> > thought it would be of interest.
> > ---------------You have been sent this message from
> > jjacobus@mail.nih.gov as
> > a courtesy of washingtonpost.com
> >
> > Approval of Irradiated Sweet Potatoes Has Critics
> > Steamed
> >
> > By Cindy Skrzycki
> >
> > The purple potato has caused a spud war.
> >
> > A recent decision by the U.S. Department of
> > Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
> > Service to allow irradiation to kill pests in a
> > special breed of sweet potato raised in Hawaii has
> > left growers on the mainland trying to protect their
> > crop and opponents of irradiation fuming.
> >
> > The fuss is over a tuber called the Okinawan sweet
> > potato , which has light skin and lavender flesh
> > and
> > is of Chinese and Japanese origin. The potato is not
> > well-known or easy to get on the mainland, except in
> > specialty or ethnic markets on the West Coast. But
> > now
> > that an irradiation facility in Hilo, Hawaii, is
> > treating the vegetable, it may one day come to a
> > table
> > near you -- though it might seem an unusual addition
> > to a Thanksgiving repast.
> >
> > Last June, the Agriculture Department proposed
> > allowing Hawaiian farmers to treat their potatoes
> > with
> > a high dose of radiation, as an alternative to
> > methyl
> > bromide fumigation -- a step that was required to
> > allow entry of the crop onto the mainland. Both
> > treatments are designed to eliminate pests found in
> > Hawaii, such as the West Indian sweet potato weevil
> > and the sweet potato stem borer (also known in
> > entomology circles as the sweet potato vine borer).
> >
> > This was a relief to Hawaiian growers, who found it
> > inconvenient and costly
> > to ship their sweet potatoes to a fumigation
> > facility on the island of Oahu.
> > Plus, they had to pay overtime to have Agriculture
> > Department inspectors
> > present for treatments done after 4 p.m. or on
> > weekends.
> >
> > Growers also faced the increasing cost and the
> > eventual phaseout of methyl bromide under the terms
> > of
> > an international environmental agreement.
> >
> > In the recently issued final rule, the USDA
> > reassured
> > growers on the mainland that their production -- 1.3
> > billion pounds annually -- dwarfs Hawaiian output,
> > 1.8
> > million pounds. The U.S. Sweet Potato Council in
> > Columbia, S.C., looked at the same figures a
> > different
> > way. It said in comments to USDA: "Hawaiian
> > production
> > is a mere pittance . . . and therefore, Hawaii
> > should
> > be able to consume every sweet potato they produce
> > and
> > then some."
> >
> > Sweet potato consumption has been declining over
> > the
> > years. In 1932, when it was considered a poor man's
> > food, Americans consumed 30 pounds each per year.
> > Now,
> > it's closer to 4 pounds, though the tuber has become
> > more appealing because it's a favorite of Oprah
> > Winfrey and television chef Emeril Lagasse.
> >
> > North Carolina is the No. 1 producer; the sweet
> > potato is the official state vegetable.
> >
> > The USDA, which has approved 15 fruits and
> > vegetables
> > in Hawaii for the treatment, said the new rule has
> > many benefits.
> >
> > It said irradiation costs less; growers would
> > incur
> > lower transportation costs; irradiation does not
> > affect the quality of the crop as methyl bromide
> > does;
> > and the irradiation plant will have plenty of work
> > since Okinawan sweet potatoes are a year-round crop.
> >
> > "A steady source of revenues from treatment, such
> > as
> > revenues from treating sweet potatoes to be moved
> > interstate, would help assure this facility's
> > continued operation and availability for all the
> > producers in Hawaii who can use it," the rule said.
> >
> > The facility, called Hawaii Pride, opened in 2000
> > and
> > was financed by a $6.75 million loan, three-quarters
> >
> === message truncated ===
>
>
> =====
> +++++++++++++++++++
> ""A fanatic is one who cannot change his mind and won't change the
subject." Winston Churchill
>
> -- John
> John Jacobus, MS
> Certified Health Physicist
> e-mail: crispy_bird@yahoo.com
>
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