JU .. Portland Observer, May 29, 1906, Page 7 Healthwatch As more bacteria and parasitic o r ganisms become resistant to our pesti cides, the efforts by producers and shippers to utilize Gamma or Ionizing radiation to sterilize food is increas ing. The proponents o f irradiation, like those o f the "peaceful a to m " claim that no health dangers exist through irradiation. Proponents claim that irradiation: I) kills micro organisms yet 2) pose " n o " negative potential for the consumer. Oppon ents to irradiation (including myself) claim that many potential problems exist with this new process (claims o f safety in countries such as Japan are exactly the type o f testing abhored by the F.D .A . when it comes to accept ing new drugs, but appears to be the primary support for the claims o f safety offered by the proponents). When dealing with the effects o f radi ation, history has shown that the general population doesn't manifest many o f the clinical conditions (such as leukemia, birth defects and other cancers) for 10 to 30 years; certainly we would not expect significant ill- effects o f the process this early in its use. There are three major concerns that are shared by opponents o f irradia tion. They are I) nutritional loss due to destruction o f vitamins and trace elements, 2) the creation o f "super bacteria” similar to what has tran spired in the pesticide and anti-biotic practices, and 3) the creation o f can cer causing substances by the conver sion o f molecular chemistries through irradiation. N u tritio n : We live in a society that is strongly attached to convenience. The refinement o f flour, white sugar, etc., has led to substantially reduced levels o f certain nutrients in the pre pared foods that many Americans consume. Likewise it is doubtful to me that the food industry w ill show any reverence for replacement o f nutrients that are destroyed by the irradiation process. I have not seen any studies on the integrity o f water- soluble vitamins exposed to these forms o f irradiation yet it seems rea sonable to believe that these foods that are so sensitive to heat and oxy gen. would not be any more stable against the radiation than are the bacterium, etc., which show such a high resistance to other forms o f sterilization. R esistance: Our use o f antibiotics in feed for cattle has recently been linked with the creation o f bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotics used in the feed. This in turn has led to human deaths from these "super- bacteria." On a similar vent, the use o f penicillin to treat gonorrhea has led to both penicillin destroying nis- seria gonoccus (the bacteria that causes gonorrhea) and n. gonoccus that are completely resistant to peni cillin. The potential o f certain bac teria to develop resistance to irradi ation is a very real possibility. The life span o f bacterium is very short in comparison to human life, therefore allowing for hundreds o f generations o f a given bacterium within a short period o f time. The ability o f an o r ganism to mutate into a resistant form is directly related to the number o f generations o f that particular organ ism that are exposed to the particular substance (irradiation chemicals, etc ). Whether 5 - 20 years o f irradia tion will produce resistant forms o f bacterium, similar to our experience with D .D .T ., is an uncertainly, but certainly worth our concern at the present. Cancer: The transformation ol Black center anniversary The Black Educational Center will celebrate 15 years o f cultural and edu cational leadership in Portland at a banquet and awards ceremony on Saturday, June 15, 1985, from 7 - 1 0 p.m ., at PSU Smith Center B allrixim , located at 1825 S.W. Broadway. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12 and are tax deduct ible. The Black Educational Center, founded in May o f 1970, is a non profit organization whose primary operation is a full-tim e school for students in kindergarten through fourth grade The school’ s curriculum includes reading, mathematics, sci ence, music, art, and Spanish. The Center also operates the Talking Drum Bookstore, which specializes in Black literature. SOUL FOOD non-toxic (non-carcinogenic) chemi cals into cancer-causing agents (car cinogens) has been shown in a variety o f instances through changes o f acid ity, heat and other physical occur rences. The dimerization o f human cells from the excessive exposre to ultra-violet light (sun-light) has long been accepted as a cancer initialing occurrance. Similar changes within foods exposed to ionizing irradiation is not at all far-fetched or unrealistic o f a fear. Should be really expose our children and ourselves to these risks, without furthet research into the po tential o f these carcinogenic changes? W hile most foods are not currently irradiated in the United States, there is a growing effort to include this as a standard form o f preparation prior to transport o f food goods. Many groups favor this "n e w ” form o f sterilization, and in fact are presently opposing an Oregon House Bill (H .B . 2539) that simply requires a warning label on any fixxls that have been irradiated This bill introduced by Rep Dave McTeague would require the following label on all irradiated fix 'd : “ W A R N IN G : This product (fix 'd ) has been radiated with radio- acive isotopes for purposes o f preser vation; the health effects are un k n o w n ." While this seems to be a lair compromise to allow Oregonians the choice o f whether they want to huy and consume irradiated foods, there is a strong industrial opposition to this bill. Opponents o f this legisla tion include the Oregon Department o f Agriculture, the Assixiation o f Oregon Fix'd Industries, and the Oregon Retail Council. Jame Black o f the Food and Dairy Division o f the Agriculture Department testified at a recent House Committee hearing on this bill, that "W e don’t think this process has to result in labeling any more than the canning o f food does," adding that " I t (the warning) would only feed on public fears about radia tio n ." This reminds me very much o f the stance o f Johns Mannville (as bestos) that infected individuals should not he informed o f their con dition or the dangers o f exposure to asbestos as it is irreversible and it would only lead to unecessary worry (see the Politics o f Cancer for an in-depth report on industries and the American Cancer Society's lack o f ag gressiveness toward controlling known cancer causing work and life related exposures). I feel at this point that the entire American public is once again being ignored by indus try’s attempt to find a convenient and profitable new tool. If you feel strongly about the future o f fix'd irradiation in Oregon, con tact Rep. MtTeague’s office and/or your own representative to support H.B. 2539, introduced by Four law s on Board Toll-free number to the slate offices is I -800-892-1211. Two representatives that appear as swing votes to get this bill out o f committee arc Rep. Robin Lindquist and Rep John School). Additional inform ation on fix 'd irradiation may be ob tained by contacting M r. Jeffrey H Reinhardt o f INFO RM A X , 44 M o n t gomery St., 5th Floor, San Francisco, Calif. 94104 I I >■ rx ♦ ♦ I I I ♦ t Tamales Hot dogs Bar-B-Que Ribs Hamburger Cheeseburger Homemade Soup French fries Grilled Cheese Sandwich Eggs, Bacon Sausage Fried potatoes Grits D inners Cook's Choice 1329 N.E. Fremont • Tue« Sat 6 a m. -1 2 a .m ., Sunday 1 p .m . • 1 2 a.m . Closed M onday ^Support our advertisers .s»N PORTLAND OBSER VER .4 0 '» "' -tin* C o m p la ta E n ta rta ln m e n t S ervice» BfTTtR ENTERTAINMENT RTTRACtlONS NETWORK • Promotion* •M anaging •Booking •Public ity •Protect Layout« •Program Coordination •Band* •Dancara •Actor* • P A Equipment • lighting • Disco Unit b D J Contact Joe (Bean) Keller • Hom e 232 9871 • Office 288 0094 FredMeyer^ Open 9AM to 10PM 7 Days A Weak Prices Good Wed.. May 29 thru June 4, 1985 Find 100’s o f values in every departm ent. How to get book contracts Got a book idea you’d like to see published? Dazzling a publisher with a proposal is the key to receiving a contract, and at the June 4 meeting o f Willamette Writers, Brian King will explain how to write one o f those winning proposals in a show and tell presentation complete with hand outs. King is a writer-entrepreneur whose first proposal to a Portland publisher got him going as a "high-tech” w rit er. His second proposal netted him a contract fo r six books, and since then he’s written a total o f 15 books in the computer field. After eight years as a police o ffi cer, King turned his talents to busi ness and marketing, becoming a self- taught microcomputer expert. When he’s not adding to his impressive stack o f computer-oriented books, he’ll be writing a murder mystery — King's proposal for a book in that genre dazzled the editors a, Delacorte and Dell, and snagged him a contract. The June 4 meeting o f Willamette Writers w ill be held at 7:15 p.m. at the Imperial Hotel, 400 S.W. Broad way, and is open to the public. There is a $2 50 fee for non members. D in ner will he served preceding the meet ing, beginning at 6:30. The cost is $9.20 and this includes gratuity. Res ervations are necessary and can be made by calling Lois Webb at 244-7664 or Tot Jones at 244-5872. 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