199 lines
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199 lines
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(word processor parameters LM=1, RM=70, TM=2, BM=2)
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Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
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Sponsored by Vangard Sciences
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PO BOX 1031
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Mesquite, TX 75150
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March 11, 1990
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This is an article sent to Vangard Sciences by Ms. Hetty Quarrella
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from Michigan. Hetty has worked closely with Hannah Kroger and
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has been researching the hazards associated with the consumption
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of irradiated food.
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Most foodstores sell foods that have been through the irradiation
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process. Manufacturers and suppliers are required by law to
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indicate on the label if a food has been treated with the
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irradiation process.
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R.B.
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FOOD IRRADIATION: What are the hazards?
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It has been known for decades that gamma radiation can be
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used to preserve foods. Studies of the effectiveness and safety
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of food irradiation are far from new. Some of the problems
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observed with food irradiation include the following.
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There is evidence suggesting that genetic and reproductive
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irregularities may be associated with the consumption of
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irradiated food. In one study, children and animals fed newly-
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irradiated wheat showed a cell abnormality called "polyploidy,"
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where cells contain more than their normal set of chromosomes. In
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another, rodents fed irradiated onions have ovaries or testes
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which differed significantly in weight from those of control
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animals.
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A March, 1984 report prepared for the U.S. Department of
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Agriculture on 12 studies using irradiated chicken meat concluded,
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"Two of the studies... had some possible adverse findings
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which will require careful consideration before the
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process can be declared safe."
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Mice fed irradiated chicken in one study showed an increase
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in testicular tumors, lesions including cancer, kidney disease,
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and reduced life spans. Another study found a radiation-dose-
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related increase in deaths among offspring of flies fed irradiated
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chicken.
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Aflatoxins, potent cancer-causing chemicals created by
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funguses occurring naturally in some foods, were produced more
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abundantly than normal on irradiated foods in several studies. The
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exact reasons and overall health effects are unknown but
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aflatoxins are 1,000 times more potent carcinogens than the banned
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pesticide EDB, for which irradiation is a possible substitute.
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Vitamins A, C, E, and especially B may be destroyed by the
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process; amino acids and fats in foods may also be altered. The
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effect of irradiation on food nutrients is probably comparable to
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that of heat sterilization processes, but if widespread use of
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Page 1
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irradiation is allowed, many foods may be subject to more than one
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preservative process before they reach the consumer (fruit may be
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irradiated to keep it from spoiling before being canned, for
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example). This could mean a decline in the nutritional quality of
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our food supply overall.
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Bacteria and viruses can develop resistance to radiation,
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just as insects do to pesticides. So the effectiveness of
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irradiation as a preservative over the long term is not known.
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Radiation can also cause dangerous mutations and the development
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of new strains of pest organisms.
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Irradiation does not protect food from contamination that may
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occur after the treatment, unless it is tightly sealed at the time
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of irradiation. For fruits and vegetables, other long-term methods
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of preservation, such as canning, freezing, or refrigeration, will
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probably still be needed.
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Fruit treated with radiation may become brown or mushy or
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ripen abnormally. Irradiated citrus fruits will bruise easily and
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black spots may appear on the peel. Meats must be irradiated in a
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vacuum, since irradiation in the presence of oxygen causes
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rancidity in fat-containing foods. Clear glass turns brown when
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irradiated; food irradiated in sealed plastic containers may
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develop a bitter, metallic after-taste.
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Chemicals called "radiolytic products" are produced in foods
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by the radiation process. These include formaldehyde, peroxide,
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and others. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in a 1980
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report, stated that foods irradiated at levels greater than 100
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kilorads
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"may contain enough (radiolytic products) to warrant
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toxicological evaluation."
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Levels of radiation that high and higher are necessary to preserve
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many foods."
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HOW DOES FOOD IRRADIATION WORK?
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In food irradiation facilities, streams of gamma radiation
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from radioactive cobalt-60 (half-life: 5.3 years) or cesium-137
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(half-life: 30.2 years) are directed through the foods. The
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fruits, vegetables, grains or meats do NOT become radioactive
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themselves, but some of their cells are altered by the radiation.
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DNA, the "blueprint" for cell division which is contained in
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all living cells, is damaged by the gamma rays. The more complex
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the organism, the larger and more radiation-sensitive its
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molecules of DNA, and thus the less radiation required to keep its
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cells from dividing. Small doses (100 kilorads) can prevent
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onions and potatoes from sprouting and sterilize or kill insects;
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larger dosed (1,000 kilorads or more) are required to kill
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bacteria and viruses.
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PLAYING WITH FIRE
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Microorganisms can develop resistance to radiation over time
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Page 2
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- and some are naturally more resistant than others. For example,
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irradiating chicken to kill salmonella bacteria may not harm the
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hardier bacteria which causes botulism, so that it is free to grow
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uncontested. But the other microorganisms which gradually would
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cause the meat to smell or look spoiled may be killed by the
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irradiation process. Fish or chicken meat that is dangerously
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contaminated with botulism could thus appear to be harmless.
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Submitted by: Ronald Barker
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Vangard Sciences
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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We wish to thank Hetty for sharing this information with our
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KeelyNet. Hetty and Ron have been actively associated with Hannah
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Kroger for many years. Ron was raised in Michigan and moved to
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Texas several years ago. He has many associates and contacts in
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the Michigan area who have shown an interest in the work of
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Vangard Sciences and the KeelyNet.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Thank you for your support and contributions to help defray the
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costs of the KeelyNet!
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FINIS
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Page 3
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