This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
The United States government hasapproved methods of destroying bacteria in meat by using radiation.The government says using radiation to kill harmful organisms inmeat is safe. The World Health Organization also supports the use ofirradiation to control food-related sickness caused by dangerousorganisms.
On average, there are more than three-million cases offood-related sicknesses each year in America. Aboutone-thousand-six-hundred deaths are reported. However, studies forthe Department of Agriculture say that harmful organisms in foodcause as many as seventy-six-million sicknesses each year in theUnited States. Eighty-one percent of these sicknesses have unknowncauses.
Food irradiation can be done inthree ways. One process uses a radioactive device made of theelements cobalt or cesium. These substances produce energy calledgamma rays. Meat is exposed to gamma rays in a protected spacesurrounded by thick walls. The food is taken out of the space whenit has been exposed to enough radiation. The gamma ray device isalways radioactive so it must be stored in a large tank of water.
Another process uses a device similar to one found intelevisions. It is called an electron gun. It fires a stream ofelectrons strong enough to kill harmful organisms in the food. Anewer process uses X-rays to kill bacteria.
The amount of radiation used in some of these processes may besurprising. For example, the energy necessary to kill the bacteriumsalmonella in chicken is seven-million times greater than that usedwhen a person gets a chest X-ray. The World Health Organization saysthat radiation levels are safe and do not change food in anyimportant way.
However, the Department of Agriculture has done studies on publicsupport for irradiated food in the United States. Recent studiesshow that public support is decreasing.
The government also found that the high cost of irradiating meatmay affect its popularity. Studies estimate that it could costbetween five and seventeen-million dollars a year for each factorythat uses irradiation. Yet, irradiation does not protect meat fromharmful organisms while it is processed in stores or in homes. Soirradiated meat would still require careful preparation.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by MarioRitter.