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Food irradiation:
no proven risk but doubts remain

All the published data on the harmlessness of food irradiation is reassuring. But there are still unanswered questions which should incite caution.

Food irradiation (or ionisation) is designed to prolong the shelf life of food by inhibiting germination, destroying insects and reducing the number of micro-organisms. Food is usually irradiated with gamma rays of nuclear origin.

The expected health benefits of irradiation are the reduced use of chemical pesticides and a drop in food-borne diseases and deaths, thanks to the elimination of micro-organisms that are pathogenic in humans.

There have been short-term studies on the effects of irradiation on people and long term-studies on several animal species. Analysis of the dossier does not reveal any evidence of a major risk to human health. However, there are still unanswered questions concerning the long-term effects of large-scale consumption of irradiated food.

Furthermore, several questions are still being investigated, such as the potential harmfulness of breakdown substances specific to food irradiation (radiolysis products). Overall, even if there are currently no formally proven risks to human health, there need be no rush to extend the use of irradiation beyond currently authorised applications.

©Prescrire July 2006

Source: "Irradiation des aliments - Deuxième partie. L'évaluation des bénéfices et des risques de l'irradiation des aliments" Rev Prescrire 2006 ; 26 (274) : 535-544.

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