Food Irradiationn Question

["Googins, Shawn (OD)" <sgoogins@exchange.nih.gov>]

I recently did an in house seminar for our HP staff on food irradiation.

The question about chromsomal abnormalities from ingesting irradiated foods
comes from a study in India by the National Institute of Nutrition (in India).
They reported increased polyploid chromosomes in rats, mice, monkeys, and even
malnorished children (not a particularly good group to use to test a hypothesis)
after consuming irradiated wheat at 0.75 kGy.  No effects were seen is the Wheat
was stored for 12 weeks after irradiation.

Review in 1976 by the Indian Government and many other committees (WHO/IAEA)
found the above study to be faulty and the results false.  In a 1980's Chinease
study 400 individuals consumed irradiated food for 7-15 weeks with not changes
noted.

a web address with this information is:

	www.iaea.or.at/worldatom/inforesource/other/food/genetic.html

another pretty good slide presentation is available at :

		www.foodsafety.org/sf/sf189.htm

Good luck

The opinions expressed are not of my employer, the government or myself for that
matter.

Shawn Googins, M.S., CHP
Chief, Technical Services Section, RSB
Deputy Radiation Safety Officer, NIH

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