There are many different pros and cons to using irradiation to help sterilize food. On the up side, it can definitely help get rid of bacteria, parasites, and germs that we might consume, but since this is fairly new technology, no one is sure what will happen if humans eat irradiated food over an extended period of time.
There are many reasons why we should not use irradiation to cleanse our food. Irradiation can destroy up to 95% of the vitamins and minerals that are essential to our bodies, we haven't fully tested out what will happen if we eat too many irradiated foods, and irradiation doesn't necessarily get rid of all the bad things in food.
Irradiation sterilizes food by moving the food molecules around and killing all the mold, bacteria, and insects growing there. The problem with this is that it can destroy up to 95% of vitamins vital to our health and eradicate natural digestive enzymes that occur in the food. This can make it harder for us to digest what we consume. Also, as the molecules in irradiated food move around, a chemical reaction can take place which will produce disease-causing radicals. These radicals combine with the existing chemicals in the item of food, and create new toxic materials called URPs. This can be very harmful toward the human body.
The FDA has only based its approval for using irradiation to clean food on 5 out of 441 animal studies. This is not very reliable at all, and many of the animals that have eaten irradiated material have suffered from more tumors, reproductive problems, kidney failure, and more. Furthermore, the longest experiments using humans as testers for irradiated food have only lasted as long as 15 weeks. This way, no one knows what the long-term effects of irradiation might be. Lastly, very few children have been tested with irradiation consumption, and so we have no idea how it might affect babies and kids.
Thirdly, irradiation does not get rid of all the harmful things found in food. The bacteria that do survive the radiation end up with an immunity to it. They breed and pass on the strong genes to more bacteria, and eventually they find their way back to the poultry or meat farm where they came from. Then, since they are not harmed by irradiation, they end up in our bodies. This results in a stronger bacteria and a weaker technology. Studies show that E. coli and Salmonella could possibly become more difficult to kill through irradiation.
Although there are many bad things about using radiation to sterilize food, there are some benefits of it, too. Irradiation makes the food we eat last longer so it won't go bad so quickly, it gets rid of almost all the bad things we might consume, and it is more environmentally friendly than using pesticides to protect our food.
It's important for our food to last a long time, because you can transport it greater distances without worrying about spoilage and you don't have to eat it right after you buy it; you can wait a while and save it. Also, if food doesn't go rotten too quickly, there is less chance that you might have to throw it away and waste it because of mold. This could lead to a decrease in the amount of trash that people throw out each year, which is more environmentally friendly.
Irradiation is also good, because it replaces pesticides which are SUPER bad for the earth. Pesticides are basically poisonous chemicals, and they can get into the earth and nearby streams. This is water pollution, and the poison will travel down the streams into rivers, which may flow into either lakes or the ocean. This can cause many plants and animals to die. When using irradiation instead of pesticides, you can prevent all that pollution and all those deaths from happening.
There are many reasons why we should not use irradiation to cleanse our food. Irradiation can destroy up to 95% of the vitamins and minerals that are essential to our bodies, we haven't fully tested out what will happen if we eat too many irradiated foods, and irradiation doesn't necessarily get rid of all the bad things in food.Irradiation sterilizes food by moving the food molecules around and killing all the mold, bacteria, and insects growing there. The problem with this is that it can destroy up to 95% of vitamins vital to our health and eradicate natural digestive enzymes that occur in the food. This can make it harder for us to digest what we consume. Also, as the molecules in irradiated food move around, a chemical reaction can take place which will produce disease-causing radicals. These radicals combine with the existing chemicals in the item of food, and create new toxic materials called URPs. This can be very harmful toward the human body.
The FDA has only based its approval for using irradiation to clean food on 5 out of 441 animal studies. This is not very reliable at all, and many of the animals that have eaten irradiated material have suffered from more tumors, reproductive problems, kidney failure, and more. Furthermore, the longest experiments using humans as testers for irradiated food have only lasted as long as 15 weeks. This way, no one knows what the long-term effects of irradiation might be. Lastly, very few children have been tested with irradiation consumption, and so we have no idea how it might affect babies and kids.Thirdly, irradiation does not get rid of all the harmful things found in food. The bacteria that do survive the radiation end up with an immunity to it. They breed and pass on the strong genes to more bacteria, and eventually they find their way back to the poultry or meat farm where they came from. Then, since they are not harmed by irradiation, they end up in our bodies. This results in a stronger bacteria and a weaker technology. Studies show that E. coli and Salmonella could possibly become more difficult to kill through irradiation.
Although there are many bad things about using radiation to sterilize food, there are some benefits of it, too. Irradiation makes the food we eat last longer so it won't go bad so quickly, it gets rid of almost all the bad things we might consume, and it is more environmentally friendly than using pesticides to protect our food.
It's important for our food to last a long time, because you can transport it greater distances without worrying about spoilage and you don't have to eat it right after you buy it; you can wait a while and save it. Also, if food doesn't go rotten too quickly, there is less chance that you might have to throw it away and waste it because of mold. This could lead to a decrease in the amount of trash that people throw out each year, which is more environmentally friendly.
Irradiation is also good, because it replaces pesticides which are SUPER bad for the earth. Pesticides are basically poisonous chemicals, and they can get into the earth and nearby streams. This is water pollution, and the poison will travel down the streams into rivers, which may flow into either lakes or the ocean. This can cause many plants and animals to die. When using irradiation instead of pesticides, you can prevent all that pollution and all those deaths from happening.Question: Will irradiating food make people less careful about handling it?
Yes, I personally believe that irradiating food will make people careless about handling it. If they believe that it will be cleansed through irradiation, then they won't make such an effort to stay clean and hygienic when handling it. They will think that it is not necessary anymore.
Very well-written Riena. Good organization of thoughts and good sentence structure. Very informative for the broader audience (and me!).
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