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• G E Story "~I10735° Re' ~sted by INFO STATION (\S* $L5RV) on 5/20/97 13:45: St. Petersburg Times Publication Date: 10/i9/91 % Pt ge: SA xD: Legitimate concerns about 'eradiation SE: EAZTORIALS EX: There are three proper public concerns about Food irradiation: the safe handling of the radioactive materials used in the process, the lass of nutritional value in processed foods and the full and meaningful notification tc the public on all foods that have been irradiated. More than 1,000 people in Florida were concerned enough to write to the governor opposing the Vindicator Inc. irradiation plant, scheduled to begin operations by the end of the year in Palk County. Irradiation is a sterilization technique in which food is exposed to gamma rays to kill bacteria and other pests. It is commonly used to sterilise medical supplies and some spices, though it isn~~t yet widely used for lood. That could change if Vindicator Inc. opens the ' n"s firs a~f{{~~od irradiation plant in Mulberry. The state~~as"`~esponded to the public"s concern. The department f Health an Rehabilitative Services F agreed to hold a public hearing in Mulberry Nov. a to gather nform ti n u the safety nd operation of the plant ~.H~; ~~Edtz~y~-nl~iz~' ~d _'~Phe hearing is a good move. It will provide the public its first opportunity to raise safety questions before the plant begins o ations. To make well-informed comments, people should obtain as much information as possible befogs the hearing about the transpoxtation n handling of large amounts of radioactive materials. ~ At a plant in Georgia, the radioactive sources have leaked, exposing workers and their families to radiation. What will prevent such an accident here? What kind of training will the workers and the transporters receive? Who pays for the cleanup in the case of an accident? The Georgia plant cost $3o-million to clean up. eeple also need to push for close monitoring of the plant. ThE vNuclear Regulatory commission says most accidents at irradiation plants have been caused by operators who circumvented safety features. HRS should keep a close eye on the plant to make sure p rotors don"t get sloppy. HRS spokesman David Adams said the agency will have - inspectors on hand 3aily while the operation is being set up, and will do six-month checks initially. But HRS is required to inspect only once a year, far too seldom for adequate oversight of such a potentially dangerous operation. That"s one thing HRS can control and citiaens can demand. Sam Whitney, president of Vindicator, has brushed off questions by neighbors, rejecting them as the dupes of out-oE-town opponents. This is the public"s chance to remind him of his responsibilities w he runs an operation that could endanger their health. one thing the hearing won"t settle is the question of nutritional loss of irradiated °ood. HRS has a narrow purvic-w, limited only to the handling of the cobalt 60 and the plant"s operations. it"s clear that irradiation, like other methods of processing, can