RE: ?? Food Irradiation - Help

["Moroney, Roger W" <WRMoroe@mkg.com>]

I just received our internal safety newsletter that includes an article on
food irradiation. It comes from the Univ of Cal at Berkley Wellness Letter,
Volume 14, Issue 6 March 98. The article is generally subtly slanted against
the use of irradiation for meat products except for the section titled, "The
Bigger Picture". The article states:

"Finally, there is the issue of the proliferation of radioactive material in
our environment. There are potentially serious concerns about engineering
safety, transport of radioactive material, production of new isotopes and
waste disposal, as well as the safety of people who work in the food
irradiation industry. The most serious human exposure to the products of
irradiation come not from the food itself but from irradiation plants.
Potential dangers might be accidents and leakage-and enormous cleanup costs
in case of radiation spills."

I have already put a call into our safety department to find out who put
this into the newsletter. I am going to try an get some kind of
response/correction put into our next issue. Apparently, I need to do some
remedial HP training here.

********************************************************
********************************************************
Roger Moroney
Technical Director - External Dosimetry Program
Health Physicist
Mallinckrodt
wrmoroe@mkg.com
314.654.7457 voice
314.654.7571 fax

> ----------
> From: 	Busby, Bruce[SMTP:bab1303@hub.doh.wa.gov]
> Sent: 	Monday, May 04, 1998 10:44 AM
> To: 	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: 	?? Food Irradiation - Help
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> I am looking for a little help. I am researching food irradiation and 
> came across (was given) a Wellness News Letter from UofCal- Berkeley, 
> School of Public Health (1992). In it, they make the statement:
> 
>    	"Several states, including Maine, New York and New Jersey, have 
> already banned or imposed 		moratoriums on irradiation foods."
> 
> I would like to know if this is true, and if possible, find out what the 
> "ban or moratoriums" say.  Also, I would appreciate it if anyone with a 
> state policy/position statement on food irradiation fax or send it to me 
> (360-236-2255). 
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Bruce
> 
> >----------------------------------------------------<
> Bruce Busby   W - bab1303@hub.doh.wa.gov  H - babusby@aol.com
> Radiation Health Physicist - Washington State Department of Health
> Radiation Protection Division - Radioactive Materials Section     
> 7171 Cleanwater Lane, Building 5, PO Box 47827
> Olympia, WA      98504-7827
> Phone: 360-236-3222      Fax: 360-236-2255
> >-----------------------------------------------------<
>