In the world today, there is a limited access to fresh and uncontaminated food. Gunjan Sihna, of Popular Science, reports that "The U. S. Centers of Disease Control estimates 6.5 million confirmed cases and more than 25 million additional unreported incidents of food poisoning each year" (65). For example, with seventy-five percent of the chicken in Europe and sixty percent of the chicken in the United States infected, salmonella is a serious problem ("Food Irradiation"). The United States reports about two million cases of salmonella per year, costing an estimated 2.44 billion dollars. "All creatures carry thousands of different bacteria in their bodies, yet most of these microbes are harmless or even beneficial," says Sinha (65). Unfortunately, there are still many bacteria that cause problems for humans. For example, E. coli is usually found in the gut of cows. Although most people do not eat this part of the cow, the beef may sometimes be cross-contaminated if the intestines are accidentally split during slaughter. Steps are needed to minimize the risk of food contamination on the world's population. Irradiation should be used to kill pathogens and extend the

There are many advantages that irradiation holds over traditional methods of food decontamination. Irradiation can be used on meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables, and herbs and spices. Pathogens in food can be eliminated by cooking, but few people want to buy meats, fruits, and vegetables that have already been cooked. Chemical washes, steaming, and chlorinated ozone water baths, combined, are not as effective at killing pathogens as irradiation (Sihna 67). Also, irradiation of food can be done after the food has been packaged. This can seal out bacteria if the package is air tight. With other conventional methods, the food is decontaminated, then it is packaged. This leaves a chance for pathogens to reenter the food before or during packaging. In 1965 the surgeon general concluded that food irradiated with up to fifty-six kiloGrays is safe to eat (Murano 4). A list of approvals by the FDA concerning irradiation of specific foods and the year the approval was given is as follows: wheat and wheat flower may be irradiated with .2 to .5 kiloGrays for insect disinfestation, 1963; white potatoes can be irradiated with 0.05 to 0.15 kiloGrays to inhibit sprouting, 1964; spices and dehydrated vegetable seasonings can be irradiated with up to thirty kiloGrays to control microbial contamination, 1983; dried enzymes may be irradiated with up to ten kiloGrays, and pork carcasses and fresh pork cuts with 0.3 to 1.0 kiloGrays, 1983 (Murano 6-7).

"Food Irradiation a Promising Technology." Atlanta Constitution. 12 September 1991. p. 14.

Irradiation plants must be licensed and are strictly inspected on a regular basis. The plants are completely automated; there is little room for human intervention. People are not exposed to the radiation on a normal basis. Sophisticated computer controls and machinery do the dangerous work. When the cobalt-60 is not in use, the sourceracks travel into deep tanks of water, and in electron beam facilities, the electron beam guns are turned off when not in use.

Irradiation requires different levels of exposure for different tasks. The International System's unit of radiation is the Gray (Gy). One Gray is equal to one joule of energy absorbed by one kilogram of food. A high dosage needed to sterilize food, as is done during canning, requires more than ten kiloGrays. A medium dosage, which can "pasteurize" food, is one to ten kiloGrays. A low dosage, which simply prevents ripening and kills insects or larger pathogens, is less then one kiloGray (Murano 5-6).

Drexler, Madeline. "The Irradiation Debate." Boston Globe. 11 November 1990. p 60-61. Murano, E. Food Irradiation a Sourcebook. Ames Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1995. Satin, Morton. Food Irradiation a Guidebook. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Technomonic Publishing Company, 1993.

One of the concerns about irradiation is the formation of free radicals. These free radicals, or electrically charged particles, are formed during the process of irradiation. Free radicals are slightly unstable and try to find another compatible free radical to link to, forming a stable radiolytic compound. This happens faster in moist than in dry foods. This is because the free radicals are more free to move in liquids than in solids. These radiolytic compounds and free radicals may sound scary to many people when they are taken out of context. However, these compounds are very common, and they are formed during everyday events such as metabolism and other simple biochemical reactions (Satin 18).

Irradiation has bee

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