Re: Food Irradiation article

[JMUCKERHEIDE@delphi.com]

Hi Ruth,

You're right of course. 2 points:

1. Addressing a group paranoid about pesticides. In talking to them it can be
necessary and reasonable to reflect those biases and concerns (which are
nevertheless 'real' relative to irradiation, eg, methyl bromide and other
fumigants are not negligible risks for some people if not handled properly). 
There's no point in trying to tell them that all those chemicals are of no
consequence. They would see you as just another agribusiness killer. :-) 
Irradiation is distinct from those sources. 

2. Telling people that their food is 'safe' if they 'wash it thoroughly and
carefully' (to leave 'an essentially neglible residue') seems to be not unlike 
telling people to burn their meat, and to boil their own milk, to assure food
safety.   : -)   Not an appealing message. 

Regards, Jim Muckerheide
jmuckerheide@delphi.com
=====================

>      This is a very good article for a co-op magazine, and I congratulate 
>      you! I have one very tiny bone to pick:  there is  almost as much 
>      exaggeration about the dangers of pesticides and herbicides as about 
>      irradiation.  Remember Alar?  As the penultimate issue of Consumer 
>      Reports points out, washing fruit and vegetables thoroughly and 
>      carefully leaves an essentially negligible residue.  It should also be 
>      noted that agricultural use of pesticides and herbicides is regulated 
>      but until recently, use of the term "organic" had no standards 
>      associated with it at all.
>      
>      Clearly my own opinion and no one else's.
>      
>      Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.