food irradiation safety of irradiated food

Is daily use of irradiated food safe?

The claim

It is repeatedly claimed by the proponents of food irradiation that irradiated food is safe.

The reality

The irradiation process bombards food with high energy photons (ionising radiation). As a result the food becomes loaded with free radicals, which are very harmful chemicals. These chemicals have been associated with the onset of cancer and early aging.

Free radicals are formed in many normal life processes and our natural defenses are the anti-oxidants in our food. Anti-oxidants neutralise free radicals and are also called free radical absorbers. Some well known anti-oxidants are beta carotene and the vitamins A, C and E.

It is obvious that when you start to eat food high in free radicals that you deplete your natural levels of anti-oxidants. So, you become more prone to free radical damage, whatever form it takes. To keep in balance you would have to ingest much higher levels of anti-oxidants.

Supplement or die

Supplementation with extra ant-oxidants is precisely what the proponents of food irradiation have been doing in their animal trials. At first they used anti-oxidant vitamins in excessive quantities. Later they used less well known food components and chemicals with strong ant-oxidant working.

Wrong claim

Invariably they claim that their research shows that irradiated foods are safe. But this is misunderstanding the results of their own research. So, what does their research show?

Correct claim

Their research shows that a wide variety of anti-oxidants fed in large quantities is highly effective in protecting experimental animals from the ravages of free radicals.

Scientific research

Genuine research aimed at finding out what really happens, used standard animal house diets. They were mixed with irradiated foods. Normally, standard animal house diets contain also anti-oxidants, but in modest quantities. Just as in any other healthy diet.

In this kind of research the free radical overload in irradiated foods became very visible through the many adverse effects that showed up.

Adverse effects

lowered immune resistence (1,2,3)

upsurge in abnormal lymph cells (4,5,6,7 and 8)

decreased fertility (7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

damage to kidneys ( 17)

depressed growth rates (12, 18, 19)

vitamin A and B deficiencies (9)

vitamin C deficiency (20)

vitamin E deficiency (10)

vitamin K deficiency (21)

Scientific comment

One research examining the testes of rats fed for 20 months a standard animal house diet containing irradiated products noted:

"It is noteworthy that the structural changes observed were similar in many respects to those arising in the testes during prolonged exposure to radiation…It can therefore be suggested that prolonged entry of such substances into the body in the composition of irradiated food may give rise to changes in the testes, as also in other organs, similar to the after effects of chronic irradiation. This hypothesis is confirmed by the direct dose dependence established between the severity of the structural changes in the testes and the dose of radiation of the foods consumed."(14)

References

1. Hickman, J.R., T. Greenwood, J.O.Bull and F.J. Ley. 1964. Rat feeding studies on wheat treated with gamma radiation II. Growth and survival. Fd Cosmet. Toxicol. 2:175-180.

2. Ehrenberg, L. & G. von Ehrenstein. 1960. Riso Report No.16, p.41. as referenced in WHO Technical Report Series No. 316 Appendix 6, Geneva 1965.

3. Vijayalaxmi. 1978. Immune response in rats given irradiated wheat. Br.J. Nutr. 40:535-541

4. Bhaskaram, C. and G. Sadasivan. 1975. Effects of feeding irradiated wheat to malnourished children. Am.J.Clin.Nutr. 28:130.

5. Vijayalaxmi. 1978. Cytogenetic studies in monkeys fed irradiated wheat. Toxicology 9:181-184.

6. Vijayalaxmi and G. Sadasivan. 1975. Chromosome aberrations in rats fed irradiated wheat. Int.J.Radiat.Biol. 27 No.2:135-142.

7. Vijayalaxmi. 1976. Genetic effects of feeding irradiated wheat to mice. Can.J.Genet.Cytol. 18:231-238.

8. Renner, H.W. 1977. Chromosome studies on bone marrow cells of Chinese hamsters fed a radio-sterilized diet. Toxicology 8:213.

9. McCay, C.M. and G.L.Rumsey. 1960. Effects of irradiated meat upon growth and reproduction of dogs. Fed. Proc. 19:1027-1030.

10. Hickman, J. R. , D.L.A. McLean and F.J. Ley. 1964. Rat feeding studies on wheat treated with gamma irradiation I. Reproduction.. Fd Cosmet.Toxicol. 2:15-21.

11. Tinsley, I.J., J.F. Bone and E.C. Bubl. 1965. The growth, reproduction, longevity and histopathology of rats fed gamma irradiated flour. Toxicol. Appl.Pharmacol. 7:71-78.

12. Tinsley, I.J., J.F. Bone and E.C. Bubl. 1970. The growth, reproduction, longevity and histopathology of rats fed gamma irradiated carrots. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 16:306-317.

13. Vijayalaxmi and K.V. Rao. 1976. Dominant lethal mutations in rats fed on irradiated wheat.. Int.J.Radiat.Biol. 29-No.1:93-98.

14. Ivanov, A.E. and A.I. Levina. 1981. Pathomorphological changes in the testes of rats fed on products irradiated with gamma rays. 0007-4888/81/9102-0232 $7.50 1981. Plenum Publishing Corporation. Translated from: Byulletin Eksperimental ‘noi Biologii i Meditsiny, vol.91, No.2 pp.233-236.

15. Bugyaki. L., A.R. Deschreiber, J. Moutschen, M. Moutschen-Dahmen, A. Thijs and A. Lafontaine. 1968. Les aliments irradies exercent-ils un effet radiomimetique? (Do irradiated foods have a radiomimetic effect?). Atompraxis 14-No.3:112-118.

16. Bugyaki et al. WHO Technical Report Series No. 451. p. 28, Geneva 1970.

17. Levina, A.I. and A.E. Ivanov. 1978. Pathomorphology of the kidneys in rats after prolonged ingestion of irradiated foods. 0007-4888/78/8502-0236 $7.50 1978. Plenum Publishing Corporation. Translated from: Byulletin ‘Eksperimental’ noi Biologii i Meditsiny, vol.85-No.2, pp.230-232.

18. van Logten, M.J., J.M. Berkvens and R. Kroes. 1978. Investigation of the wholesomeness of autoclaved or irradiated feed in rats. Report 33/78 Alg Tox - National Institute of public Health - Utrecht/Bilthoven. The Netherlands.

19.Renner., H.W. and D. Reichelt. 1973. Zur frage der gesundheitlichen Unbedenklichkeit hoher Konzentrationen von freien Radikalen in bestrahlten Lebensmitteln. Zbl.Vet.Med.B20:648-66.

20. Blood, F.R. , W.J. Darby, M.S. Wright and G.A. Elliott. 1966. Feeding of irradiated peaches and whole and peeled oranges to monkeys. Toxivcol..Appl. Pharmacol. 8:247-249.

21. Metta, V.Ch., M.S. Mameesh and B.C. Johnson. 1959. Vitamin K deficiency in rats induced by the feeding of irradiated beef. J. Nutr. 69:18-22

H. Julius

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