Re: food irradiation -Reply

[stephane_jeanfrancois@Merck.Com (Stephane Jeanfrancois)]

The irradiator I know (for food or other products)  permits very little
deviation as far as the process goes. It is a pool type irradiator
(Nordion International) holding 2 million curies of Co-60. Source
assembly is hoisted up and down to irradiate products that enter
automatically in the irradiation room, on a special container fixed on
rails.  Since the sources are sealed (sealed pellets, stacked on a
source assembly rack) and stored in a pool, water analysis allow some
form leak testing. The irradiated product is at least  a feet from the
source assembly. I had to inspect that facility once and believe me,
they have a lot of safety features. (interlock, portal monitors, dose
alarm etc.)   I don't think (and sure hope) that any contamination
incident may happen in such a facility.


Stephane Jean-Francois Phys. Eng.
RSO
Merck Frosst Canada Inc.
stephane_jeanfrancois@merck.com
 ----------
From: LASHLEYT@detroitedison.com
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re:  food irradiation -Reply
Date:  December 12, 1996 14:12


 --Boundary-3883748-0-0

Jim Hardeman wrote:

>Assuming that the sources used to irradiate food products
>are "relatively insoluble" (i.e. Co-60) and regularly leak tested,
>there should not be a concern about contamination of the
>product. The same claim cannot be made with "soluble"
>sources, such as CsCl. I cannot speak to radiolytic chemical
>production in the food itself ...

It is my understanding that large sealed Co-60 sources are used to
irradiated
and preserve food products.

Tom Lashley
LashleyT@detroitedison.com


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Date: 12 Dec 96 12:48:01
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Subject:  food irradiation -Reply
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There is some experience with contamination of irradiated
products (not food), but to my knowledge only in one (1)
irradiator which used Cs-137 capsules manufactured at the
Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility (WESF) at
Hanford. One (1) of two-hundred fifty-two (252) capsules at an
irradiator here in Decatur, GA leaked in 1988 ...
contaminating the shielding and cooling water, product and
the building ... and a $45 million, 3.5 year cleanup ensued.

Assuming that the sources used to irradiate food products
are "relatively insoluble" (i.e. Co-60) and regularly leak tested,
there should not be a concern about contamination of the
product. The same claim cannot be made with "soluble"
sources, such as CsCl. I cannot speak to radiolytic chemical
production in the food itself ... I'll have to leave that one to
somebody else.

Jim Hardeman, Manager
Environmental Radiation Program
Environmental Protection Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
4244 International Parkway, Suite 114
Atlanta, GA 30354
(404) 362-2675  fax: (404) 362-2653
Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us

>>> Kevin Meyer <qkv@ornl.gov> 12/12/96 13:32 >>>

I think that the message is clear that Hormel would like lots
of positive calls to their toll-free number. For those of us who
are not food safety experts, how about a technical discussion
(with references) concerning the pro's and con's of food
irradiation?







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