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"`v <br /> WE, TILE PEOPLE OF TIIE COUNTY OF HAWAII SUPPORT <br /> ' THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION <br /> WHEREAS, a national boycott against irradiated food has already resulted in the loss of <br /> important markets on the mainland including Marsh's, Keim's, S&K and others; and <br /> WHEREAS, the nearly 8,000 postcards and letters from people on the mainland have <br /> warned the County of Hawaii that they will not buy irradiated fruit from Hawaii; and <br /> WHEREAS, Japan does not allow irradiated fruit into their country, and five consumer <br /> groups from Japan have warned that Japanese people will "back away" from all <br /> Hawaiian fruit; and <br /> WHEREAS, the FDA has stated that potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic chemicals <br /> are created by the irradiation process at 30 parts per million; and <br /> WHEREAS, irradiation facilities which use cobalt-60 or cesium-137 support, legitimize, <br /> and rely on nuclear power and nuclear weapons production; and <br /> E i d t <br /> r' s e s l i r• m <br /> ~ " k t i <br /> € ice. <br /> ~ 1 ~ WHEREAS, these nuclear industries are leaving a horrific legacy of nuclear wastes <br /> ~ ~ products for future generations to deal with; and <br /> ti; <br /> S' <br /> ; g WHEREAS, accidents at irradiation facilities, including the Hawaii Development <br /> ` ~ ~ Irradiator, have resulted in radioactive contamination of land and water; and <br /> ~ WHEREAS, food irradiation facilities are allowed to emit 100 millirems of radiation per <br /> ~ $ year and, under special circumstances, 500 millirems per year; and workers are allowed <br /> to receive 30 to 50 times more radiation per year than one would receive from natural <br /> background radiation; and <br /> WHEREAS, these radiation levels will lead to increased cancers and birth defects; and " <br /> WHEREAS, as of 1995, the first "food-only" irradiator in the United States, Food <br /> Technology Services Inc., located in Mulberry, Florida, had lost 5.5 million dollars; and <br /> WHEREAS, Mayor Yamashiro's proposal for $2 million fora "post harvest treatment <br /> facility" does not specify how the money would be spent; <br /> THEREFORE, we oppose any ordinance or resolution favoring irradiation; and <br /> THEREFORE, we believe the most logical and economical solution for agricultural <br /> development in Hawaii would be to develop the local markets as a priority, and then, if <br /> <br /> • necessary, to encourage use of existing treatment facilities, and to export specifically to <br /> cold-climate regions, i.e. Canada and the northern United States to prevent spreading the <br /> fruit fly, until such time as non-toxic disinfestation methods can be developed. <br /> Signed: t- a,-u~.A ~ ~~4.d~,.wQ.Q. <br /> Address: ~ ~Y31,~ t~,o44 <br /> I believe the $2 million dollars could be better spent for: ,~~r.<c,,, t,r <br /> ~ A~as -ionic ~rta~v~n ~ li-+~S <br /> ~ z~~ <br /> . <br /> zee;!, ~~2~/4 ~ <br /> _ <br /> _ <br /> <br />