New York Times - Red Meat Irradiation Rules

[Gerald Laurence <aduchem@wantree.com.au>]

On 2/12/99 7:08 AM you wrote

>But its lasting efficacy is being debated. Ms. Foreman, who says there
>is a place for irradiated foods in nursing homes and hospitals, warns
>that "in the long run, years out, bacteria are likely to develop
>resistance to irradiation," just as they have to one antibiotic after
>another.

The radiation chemistry which drives the reduction in bacterial count in
irradiated food (or complete sterilization in special cases) is not going
to induce a resistance to irradiation; OH radicals react with almost all
organics with very high rate constants and the chemical reactions involve
are independent of the microbiology.
Of course it COULD be postulated that the evolutionary irradiation of
humans at low levels (background) has led to a resistance to radiation
effects and therefore those opponents of food irradiation who think the
bacteria will develop resistance should also abandon the LNT hypothesis!
(Joke).
Gerald Laurence
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html