Re: New York Times - Red Meat Irradiation Rules

[Fritz Seiler <faseiler@nmia.com>]

Hi all,

I am old enough to remember the discussions about pasturized
milk in Switzerland quite a while ago.  Strange how the same
old unproven arguments keep cropping up!  Milk or meat, it
does not seem to matter.  As Bernie says, both spoilage and
contamination are suppressed.  In Switzerland, infections with
Tb and Bang from cow milk dropped to very small levels as
a consequence of pasrurization.  But the noise until that
finally happened...

So every time you hear about a recall of meat, remember
that there are now actual (not estimated) human lives at risk,
risks that are entirely preventable. But the acute radiation
schizophrenia of our society keeps us from doing anything
about it!

A good weekend to all,

Fritz

Bernard L Cohen wrote:

> On Fri, 12 Feb 1999, Scott Flowerday wrote:
>
> > Don't be so quick to condemn Ms.Foreman, maybe we should first examine
> > the motives of those that support food irradiation.
>
>         --My motives are expressed in the opening of my paper in the June
> 1992 issue of Nuclear News, p.60-68, as follows:
>         About 20% of the world's food supply is lost due to spoilage, and
> in some disadvantaged areas of the world where food is needed most, the
> spoilage rate is as high as 50%. According to National Center for Disease
> Control, 6.3 million serious cases of food-borne illness occur in the
> United States each year, resulting in 9100 deaths. Other estimates which
> include milder forms of illness are as high as 80 million cases, with
> costs of medical treatment and reduced worker efficiency as much as $17
> Billion.
>         Isn't solving these problems a worthy motive?
>
> Bernard L. Cohen

*************************

Fritz A. Seiler, Ph.D.
Principal
Sigma Five Associates
P.O. Box 14006
Albuquerque, NM 87191-4006
Tel.     505-323-7848
Fax.    505-293-3911
e-mail: faseiler@nmia.com

**************************


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