Bibliographies

Hawaii's interest in irradiation for quarantine treatment happens to coincide with national trends favoring the thoughtful application of irradiation technology to enhance America's over-all food safety. In recent months, a deluge of Congressional testimony and news commentary has called attention to the benefits of irradiation to combat E. coli O157:H7, salmonella and camplyobacter bacteria in poultry, pork and beef.

America's food supply, by and large, is remarkably safe, thanks to sound manufacturing practices, government regulation and inspection, refrigeration, hygienic food handling, and advances in food science. However, each year in the United States, approximately 9,000 people, most of them children and the elderly, die from food-borne illnesses. Millions more contract diseases from bacteria-tainted food and flood hospital emergency rooms. Much of this death and suffering is utterly preventable.

As part of a major new National Food Safety Initiative, President Clinton has called for "new steps using cutting-edge technology to keep our food safe," including irradiation. The Food & Drug Administration approved the irradiation of beef, a measure strongly supported by public health experts and America's food processing industry. As with the introduction of other food technologies-most notably pasteurization-some voices are skeptical, however.

Others are just plainly wrong on matters of sound and accepted science.

Much debate and trauma has accompanied Hawaii's consideration of irradiation technology throughout 1997. Meanwhile, Isomedix, Inc. and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture have sponsored emergency training for Hawaii police and fire personnel, a standard protocol throughout the irradiation industry. Treatment of Hawaiian fruit proceeds at a steady clip at the Isomedix irradiator in Chicago. In October 1997, the Produce Marketing Association again hosted its annual exhibit of irradiated Hawaiian fruit at a national convention in California.

Hawaii County is committed to the safe construction and operation of the Hilo irradiator. County officials also support a thorough and fair evaluation of the project. A further opportunity for judgment and public input will occur when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission takes up the pending Hawaii licensing application from Isomedix.

During January and March, 1997, the County lent its support to two community forums on post-harvest technology sponsored by the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board. The March forum featured spokespeople from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Food & Drug Administration, Health Physics Society, University of Hawaii, Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Cooperative and Irradiation Free Food Hawaii. The two-hour forum was videotaped and unedited coverage was aired numerous times on Hawaii public access television.

On April 24, May 7 and May 20, 1997 the Hawaii County Council held extraordinary all-day public meetings to address the post-harvest appropriation bill. On April 24, Isomedix CEO John Masefield and Senior Vice President George Dietz gave a detailed presentation on the operation and safety features of the gamma sterilization industry. Testimony was heard from hundreds of citizens, pro and con, and council members examined hundreds of documents, letters and petitions on the issue. Of necessity, much of the Council's deliberations took the form of homework; members read volumes of studies on food science, biochemistry, industry performance and regulatory oversight. In short, council members not only heard oral testimony, they evaluated the published record of accredited science.

Much of the written record examined by the Hawaii County Council can be referenced by browsing the topical index in this web page. It provides readers with a comprehensive tour of (1) Hawaii's quarantine issues; (2) Hawaii diversified agriculture and exports; (3) frequently asked questions about food irradiation; (4) the operation and safety of gamma sterilization facilities; (5) scientific and food industry commentary on food safety; (6) perspectives on cancer, nutrition and health; and (7) bibliographies and an on-line slide show for additional reference. Summaries or relevant quotations for each link are provided.

The Department of Research & Development hopes that this exhaustive directory of information on the Internet contributes to a fair and thoughtful appraisal of Hawaii's post-harvest project and the topic of food irradiation.

Please share your comments and suggestions with us and let us know what information you found helpful.

Aloha and thank you for visiting the Hawaii Post-Harvest Information Site!

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