What is nuclear irradiation?
It is the process of exposing food to gamma radiation created by radioactive sources, in this case Cobalt-60, in an attempt to destroy bacteria and extend shelf life. Irradiation causes changes in the chemical structure of food, creating previously unknown chemicals, through a process millions of times stronger than a chest x-ray. Some of these newly created chemicals have been found to promote cancer growth and cause genetic damage in rats and human cells. Irradiation also perpetuates the problems of factory farms and large-scale processing. The meat industry is trying to cover up dirty meat at the expense of cunsumers, small farmers and ultimately the animals themselves. The history of food irradiation is a long one and, like the technology itself, there is far more to it than meets the eye. In the mid-1960s, after more than a decade of research, the U.S. Army sent a few thousand pounds of irradiated bacon to military personnel in Vietnam. In 1968, however, the Food and Drug Administ
