COM 0212.451 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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"1 ~'he.,. I~~W~T ~J~C~~o+}-~nt ~3J C~ N t.,td L F RECEIVED "s'" _ _ Ecology 'onvrolence~rt1e-.-'^-_~'~''y~~q~-•--•_-.-.-----~ Grassroots .Democracy Social Jastice Dq~'-"`-aunty coun~il~ Ja~ f'"C- PO Box 3220, KaiEua-Kona H! 96745 Big Island 32-GREEN, or $(j0-2$3-3377 April 24, 1997 The Finance Committee of the County Council has been asked by Mayor Yamashiro to provide $2 million dollars of taxpayers' money to pay fora "post harvest treatment facility project". It is known that this money is to enable the establishment of an irradiation facility on the Big Island. It is not known whether these funds will be used to actually build such a facility, to promote marketing of irradiated fruit, to promote utilization of this facility by Hawaii farmers to ensure adequate through put, or to subsidize the irradiation company which even the proponents of irradiation admit will probably operate at a loss for the first few years. As of April 4r", County Council members who had met, over the last few weeks with concerned residents about irradiation, acknowledged that they did not know how the Mayor wanted to use this money. The Hawaii County Green Party opposes this entire project because of its potential catastrophic costs and impacts on residents of the Big Island. The Green Party examines issues in terms laf its four pillars: ecological wisdom, grassroots democracy, social justice and nonviolence. These concepts are germane to the issue of irradiation. The ecological issues with irradiation are vast and disturbing. Many serious accidents have happened in irradiation facilities which have resulted in injury; contamination of land and water, loss of life; and huge clean up costs born by taxpayers. The Hawaii Development Irradiator in Honolulu, operated in the late 1960s and closed when most of its Cesium 137 strips leaked and caused radioactive contamination of the whole facility and areas surrounding the plant. Contamination lasted 12 years before it was cleaned up. Cesium 137 contamination clean up at the Radiation Sterilizers plant in Decatur, Georgia cost $47 million. Even operating properly, these plants are allowed to emit 3 to 5 times more radiation than the natural background levels. Issues related to transporting and storing radioactive materials are especially troubling. Cobalt 60, the fuel suggested for a Big Island irradiator, must be stared ar used for 120 years before recharging within a nuclear reactor. The reactor that is used to recharge the Cobalt 80 is in Canada. This reactor is overdue for decommissioning and will be closed in the year 2000. There is no guarantee that this nuclear waste will have a "home". One could say that the nuclear industry, including food irradiation, is like a Ponzi scheme where profits are being collected without any regard for the ultimate costs to be borne by the public at large. An unending series of accidents, cover ups, failures to protect human health, and mushrooming costs for the public typify this industry. The proponents of food irradiation would have you believe that the conclusions about food safey and nutrition are adequately resolved. Marcia Van Gernert, Ph.D., toxicologist, was chair of the FDA committee which examined 441 irradiation studies and then selected 5 studies as the basis to conclude that irradiation is safe. Marcia Van Gernert, in correspondence to Assemblyman John Kelly of New Jersey on 10/19193, states, "These studies reviewed in the 1982 memo from the FDA were not adequate by 1982 standards, and are even less adequate by 1993 standards to evaluate the safety of any product, especially a food product such as irradiated foods." Many ~ llq 2 1B~ lfa gam, qy~ Presented E'C Ref. Date ~'R 2 4 ~9at