permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <london@metalab.unc.edu>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 15:39:07 -0400
From: Tom Smith <TSmith@FIFTHAVE.ORG>
To: "'sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu'" <sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Irradiated food

Tom replies:
There is serious concern that irradiation will create mutagens in our food,
such as benzene and formaldehyde, and ncluding some that have never been
analyzed yet--the URPs--unknown radiolytic products.  In reversing itself
and calling the irradiation process safe, the FDA only looked at five
studies, and has thrown out hundreds of other studies, which showed that
these irradiated foods cause cancer in animals, and cause chromosomal
abberations in Indian children who were fed the stuff.
It's not even just a question of food safety, nor is it one of consumer
choice.  The food irradiation process would also entail the construction of
many more irradiation plants, which would legitimate the whole nuclear
energy cycle.  That is probably the principle reason it is being
promoted--so that the federal government can foist its nuclear waste upon
the states and so that the federal government can get away with creating
plutonium again.. 

There have been major accidents at these plants.  Workers have been explosed
to radiation.  Radioactive water has been poured into public sewer systems.

Dale's idea of consumer choice is infantile.  It's like somebody saying,
"Waahh!  I want to go to the moon, so you have to build me a rocket ship,
and a whole space program, to take me there."  At whose expense?  And what
dangers, to the public, are intrinsic to what you are asking for? There are
other questions and concerns involved besides your own whims.

If you don't like the prospect of eating infected meat, which is the
principle reason given for supporting Irradiation, then DON'T EAT IT. The
human body was not designed to eat meat, even organic, free-range animal
meats. And the crap they are using to feed animals these days--including
sewage sludge--makes the problem much that worse, and would not be addressed
by irradiation.  Besides that, cattle farming is one of the greatest sources
of global warming, both in terms of clear cut rainforests and the gases they
emit.

Tom