* In a message to All on 12-06-96, LARRY FLETCHER said the following:
LF> -- Food irradiation exposes food to the equivalent of 30 million chest 
LF> X-rays.
        Since food is not a living organism, what does this tell us?
LF> -- Irradiation creates new chemicals in foods called radiolytic 
LF> products. Some of these products are known cancer-causing 
LF> substances (like benzene in irradiated beef). Others are unique to the 
LF> irradiation process and no one knows what effects these have on 
LF> human health.
        What information are the regulators operating with? Would a ban on 
        food irradiation lead to a ban on grilled hamburgers on the same
        health bases?
LF> -- Irradiation destroys essential vitamins and nutrients that are 
LF> naturally present in food. No studies have been done to show that a 
LF> long-term diet of irradiated foods is safe. Safer, well-tested 
LF> alternatives to irradiation exist.
        So many foods are "fortified" with extra vitamins and nutrients 
        anyway, and irradiated food would not be 100% of anyone's diet.
        Fresh food would still be available.
LF> -- Irradiation plants pose environmental threats to workers and 
LF> surrounding communities. The transportation of nuclear materials to 
LF> irradiation facilities also poses severe public health risks.
        Is cobalt-60 the source of the radiation?
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