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From: bcw@duke.UUCP (Bruce C. Wright)
Newsgroups: net.cooks,net.veg,net.med
Subject: Re: irradiated food
Message-ID: <4011@duke.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Feb-84 16:10:57 EST
Article-I.D.: duke.4011
Posted: Thu Feb 23 16:10:57 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Feb-84 06:52:11 EST
References: <1550@tekig1.UUCP>
Organization: Duke University
Lines: 15

I won't bother discussing the charge that irradiated food is
radioactive, that's been adequately exploded in previous articles.
There *are* some health questions, however:  the radiation produces
some strictly *chemical* products as well.  This is done primarily
by providing sufficient energy (as heat?) to produce the products;
in principle this could (as I understand it) be done by non-radioactive
methods but isn't done in normal food processing.  These are called
radiolytic by-products & there is some debate as to their effects on
health - and at the very least, they can in some circumstances produce
an "off" taste to the food (such as a tinny taste).

The last I knew (about 6 months ago), there was still considerable
debate on this topic - it may be resolving itself by now.

			Bruce C. Wright