Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site randvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sdcrdcf!randvax!edhall From: edhall@randvax.ARPA (Ed Hall) Newsgroups: net.cooks,net.veg,net.med Subject: Re: irradiated food Message-ID: <1725@randvax.ARPA> Date: Tue, 28-Feb-84 03:37:25 EST Article-I.D.: randvax.1725 Posted: Tue Feb 28 03:37:25 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 2-Mar-84 16:08:00 EST References: <1550@tekig1.UUCP>, <588@pyuxqq.UUCP>, <544@shark.UUCP> Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica Lines: 19 ------------------------------- I've a question about this which I hope someone out there can provide a (referenced) answer to: what *chemical* effects are there produced in food by radiation? I realize that gamma radiation is not about to cause the elements in the food to transmute, but 1 Mev is more than enough energy to make or break a chemical bond. Are we sure that the results of these reactions (which I would expect to have a good chance of being biologically active) are harmless? I would think that the sterilizing effect of the radiation is based on this ability to break chemical bonds in, say, proteins and DNA. Are we sure that the radiation-induced chemical reactions which kill the microorganisms don't yield components which are toxic to life ingesting them? Remember, fruits, vegetables, grains, and even part of milk is composed of biological cells which are also being irradiated. -Ed Hall decvax!randvax!edhall (UUCP) edhall@rand-unix (ARPA)