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