Unstable atoms are said to be radioactive. Radiation can also be produced by high-voltage devices (e.g., x-ray machines). Unstable atoms differ from stable atoms because unstable atoms have an excess of energy or mass or both. Ionizing radiation is produced by unstable atoms. The kind of radiation discussed in this document is called ionizing radiation because it can produce charged particles (ions) in matter. Light, radio, and microwaves are types of radiation that are called nonionizing. Needless to say, some moulds are highly toxic.Radiation is energy that comes from a source and travels through space and may be able to penetrate various materials. One anti-irradiation advocate was heard to say: “When I shop, I seek mold as a confirmation that the food I am buying is not irradiated.” What silliness. We just need to put our worries in the proper perspective. But people die all the time from food poisoning that is preventable by this technology. Nobody has ever been killed by exposure to gamma rays from a cobalt-60 source used in food irradiation. But current methods of transporting radioactive materials are very sophisticated and accidental release of radiation is extremely unlikely. This has to be transported to the irradiation facility and in theory accidents can happen along the way. The one realistic concern with food irradiation concerns the cobalt-60 source. In fact, some studies have shown that irradiation increases the concentration of some beneficial substances such as flavanols in citrus fruits. Countries such as Israel use irradiation on a large scale and no problems have been noted. There is more benzene in non-irradiated dairy products than in meat that has been irradiated. All such radiolytic products total no more than 30 ppm. Most have not been identified and tested but formaldehyde does form in irradiated starch, benzene in meat, peroxides in plant tissues and formic acid in sucrose. True, on exposure to irradiation chemical bonds are broken and new molecules can form. Gamma rays from cobalt-60 can destroy some of the A,C,E, and B vitamins but under the conditions used this effect is very small. Some anti-irradiation activists claim that exposing foods to gamma rays destroys nutrients and gives rise to what they call unique “radiolytic products” of unknown toxicity. In any case, anyone desiring to avoid irradiated foods could easily do so because by law such foods have to be labeled with the symbol known as the radura. The latter is a serious concern with ready- to-eat meat products such as sausages, luncheon meats and cooked ham. The real potential benefit, though, would be in treating fresh and frozen meat to reduce the risk of Salmonella, E. The technique can be used to prevent sprouting in potatoes, extend the shelf life of strawberries and reduce insect infestation in mangoes and papayas. Food irradiation technology has been around a longtime and today most of the spices, herbs and dried vegetables we import are treated in this fashion without any problem ever having appeared. This does not make the food radioactive or dangerous in any way. The needed free radicals are generated by bombarding the food with gamma rays released from a cobalt-60 source. The idea behind food irradiation is to destroy bacteria by exposing them to free radicals which are highly reactive and can interrupt cell division. Too bad because food irradiation can reduce the risk of bacterial food poisoning, but public fear keeps the technology from being more widely applied than it currently is. It’s a safe bet that many would rather take their chances with bacterial food poisoning than with food irradiation. Try asking people what they are more scared of, exposing food to nuclear radiation or eating food contaminated by E.
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